KD Ladies Turf (Grade 3)- $2,000.000 Purse
KD- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
August 30, 2025

Last year, Poetic Panther entered the KD Ladies Turf on the heels of winning the Diana at SAR. She’d win the Diana again this year, but unlike 2024, she would go to the Grade 1 Taylor afterwards, a race that was held two weeks after this one last year. While she did not win the Taylor this time around, she was comfortable hitting the track again just two weeks later for the KD Ladies Turf. Meeting up with some familiar foes in this race, she would finish two spots better, grabbing the win and the top share of the $2,000.000 purse. Poetic Panther is trained by Maletto and was ridden by Jam Rodriguez. For each, it is their first win in the KD Ladies Turf. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:32.91, the third fastest in the race’s history. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :22.72)- Class Command, trained by Asgar, will be the early leader of the race as she opens up a length and a half advantage over second place Superface Party, who started on the outside for Mb Stables. Also right behind the leader is the Our Athletes-trained Date Knight. It’s close behind her, as there are three within half a length, and one of them is the race’s eventual winner from Maletto, Poetic Panther, and she runs in the second lane. Beach Towel is next on the rail for Winning Link Stables, and on the outside here we have Secret Of A Lady (Mb Stables). It is very tight right behind them as well, with Antares (Alydar Stables) narrowly ahead of My Princess Em (Bigchief Stables) and Painville (Mo Mentum Farm). Anoushka Titan (Maxmillion Farm) is in the heart of this traffic jam with Children Of The Sod (Onlineracingclub.com) and Oh No (Greyhound) close by. Trailing, but still with the pack, are Corsica (Glorify Stables) and Let Me Explain (Mb Stables).

(½ Mile- :46.02)- The leader is still Class Command as the run around the turn commences. Superface Party and Date Knight still hold the second and third spots, and are within two lengths. Poetic Panther keeps place with them as well and is positioned right behind the leader. Beach Towel and Secret Of A Lady are next, and able to stay in front of a cluster of horses right behind them that don’t really have a lot of room to make a move at this point if they wanted to make one.

(Top of Stretch, 2F To Go)- The field enters the stretch, with Poetic Panther moving to the outside of Class Command to try and make her move. This would be successful, as she would take over the lead by a narrow margin at the top of the stretch. Those two, as well as Superface Party and Date Knight are just heads apart for the lead. Meanwhile, on the far outside Painville was making a move, leaving the group of horses that had been to her inside behind. When Poetic Panther make her move, a lane opened up for Beach Towel, and she would capitalize on it, and was also in a great spot at this point of the race. Horses like Antares, My Princess Em, Secret Of A Lady, and Anoushka Titan still had no room to make a run and needed something to open up for them. Let Me Explain looked to advance from further back on the outside. Children Of The Sod and Corsica also did not have much room to run, and would have even more work to do. Oh No had called it a night.

(Finish- 1:32.91)- A thrilling finish was in order as they marched down the stretch, with Poetic Panther trying to inch away from the others, but a familiar adversary to her, Painville, was coming on hard. These two would be close at the wire, and it would be Poetic Panther getting the better of Painville on this day to win the KD Ladies Turf! Painville is second, and running third, finally able to show something late in the stretch, is Anoushka Titan, who if not for all the traffic congestion she had to deal with, may have been the winner here. Beach Towel ran well to the wire to be fourth, finishing ahead of the late running Antares and Let Me Explain. Date Knight will run seventh, ahead of Secret Of A Lady, Superface Party, My Princess Em, Corsica, Children Of The Sod, Class Command, and Oh No.

About The Winner- Poetic Panther, trained by Maletto, and ridden to victory by Jam Rodriguez, is a five year old mare by Lil Pink Panther and is out of the late Poetic Dancer. She was bred by Two Hearts One Love as a first quarter two year old in Florida, and was acquired by Maletto, via Mb Stables, for $19.050 in the September 2022 auction. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her thirteenth in 32 starts, her tenth stake win and her eighth graded win. Her career earnings are now $3,756.520.

Track: Firm
Time: :22³  :46  1:09³  1:32⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 12 Paid 41.40
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 12 – 9 Paid 651.10

Scratched: Absolute Zero

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES