Taylor Stakes (Grade 1)- $750.000 Purse
WO- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Quarter on the Turf
October 8, 2023

It’s almost hard to believe that just two months ago at the Beverly D, I was looking at that race and saw Stinky Rene has being an unlikely candidate to win. Something has happened with this filly, and whatever it is that TwinTowersRacing figured out to get her to finally show the ability that he always knew that she had, it has translated into victories. First came the win in the Beverly D, and then the Ladies Marathon. Now, we can add the Taylor Stakes to that, upping her winning streak to three and establishing herself as the one to beat for the BC Fillies and Mares Turf. Sure, Demanding Commander looked great yesterday in the First Lady and is also a top choice, but Stinky Rene is red hot right now, and that’s just what you want heading into the BC. Her win gives TwinTowersRacing his first win the Taylor Stakes, and it’s the second for jockey F Pennington. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:58.50, the second quickest in the race’s history. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/2 Mile- :47.79)- From the gate, four of them looked to take the early lead, and ultimately prevailing in that battle would be Tabitha Stephens, for Mb Stables. Her lead would become about a length after a half mile, with Mon Dieu running second to her outside for Mo Mentum Farm, and Tessa Star nearly even with that one while on the rail. Untidy, also from Mb Stables, was initially with the lead group, but began to back off of that in favor of a stalking position. She was now fourth, and half a length ahead of the eventual winner from TwinTowersRacing, Stinky Rene. Surprisingly, the horse that we picked in the preview was allowed to go off at odds of 11/1, and that’s with the two big wins she had prior to this race. There was about a four length gap to Stellar Agent, as the Night Rider Stables filly hoped to go back to back in the race. Speedy Shark (Team 7 Illusions) wasn’t that speedy early.

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.59)- Down the backstretch, and early into the turn, Tabitha Stephens shows the way by a length with Mon Dieu now all by herself in the second position as Tessas Star lost a little bit of ground. She was now falling into the clutches of both Untidy and Stinky Rene, as the two of them continued to run evenly with the leader. The same large gap still existed to Stellar Agent, with another length and a half to Speedy Shark.

(Top of Stretch, 2.2F To Go)- Entering the stretch, Tabitha Stephens was still out front, and was looking very good at this point. She continued to hold close to a two length lead on second place Mon Dieu, as that one looked unable to keep up with her. Stinky Rene was prevailing in her battle with Untidy, something that seemed very important, and was looking to make her move on Mon Dieu for the second spot. From there, there’d be only one to catch, but Tabitha Stephens still seemed to be in good stride. Elsewhere, Untidy was making a wide move while Tessas Star was gradually losing touch with the frontrunners. Stellar Agent and Speedy Shark had yet to show interest.

(Finish- 1:58.50)- In the stretch, the showdown between Tabitha Stephens and Stinky Rene loomed larger as Stinky Rene progressed. It was a two horse race now, since Mon Dieu was unable to keep up and Untidy wasn’t advancing quick enough. It would be in the final furlong where Stinky Rene was at her best, and once she was even with Tabitha Stephens, there was nothing that was going to stop her. She would make the pass look pretty easy, and would only pull away to an impressive two length win. Tabitha Stephens is second by a length over Untidy, with Mon Dieu being the best of the rest to get fourth. Tessas Star dropped to fifth, ahead of Stellar Agent and the overmatched Speedy Shark.

About The Winner- Stinky Rene, trained by TwinTowersRacing and ridden to victory by F Pennington, is a four year old filly by Rene, and is out of Skunked. She was bred as a yearling by TwinTowersRacing in Florida, the only trainer for which she has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her sixth in 25 starts, and her fourth stake win, all of which are graded. Her career earnings are now $1,681.970.

Track: Firm
Time: :47³  1:11²  1:35   1:58²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 2 Paid 32.40
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 2 – 5 Paid 434.30

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES