First Lady (Grade 1)- $750.000 Purse
KEE- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
October 5, 2024

In a field with proven superstars, it would be one of the lesser-known fillies that took home the victory in the Grade 1 First Lady. Wild Cats was hot, winning three in a row, and returning to graded competition for just the third time. A three-month layoff would not get in her way either, as the 12/1 longshot pulled off the upset. The filly is trained by Smokey Stover and was ridden by Mario Gutierrez. For each, it is their first win in the First Lady. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:32.98, and that is a new stake record. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.01)- Reaper Lighting takes the early lead for Fractious and is just about a length ahead of the second place, Mb Stables- owned, Wander. Behind them, we have a group of three, and it’s the eventual winner of the race, Smokey Stover’s Wild Cats, with the upper hand here as she runs on the rail. Mo Mentum Farm’s Painville is fourth on the outside of the group, and in between horses, we have the second Fractious entry, Bella Latte. It’s another length to Be Exceptional (TwinTowersRacing), and Demanding Commander (Mb Stables) is atypically at the back at the start.

(½ Mile- :46.28)- The field runs down the backstretch with very little changing. Reaper Lightning is still the leader, but Wander will pull up to her inside now and run with her. The same group of three stalkers remain in that position, with Wild Cats continuing to stay on the rail with Bella Latte and Painville beside her. Be Exceptional is a length behind them, and it is another to Demanding Commander.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- About midway into the turn, Wander would make the pass of Reaper Lightning, and she would stay in that position entering the stretch. Reaper Lightning is still within a length at this point. Moving into the stretch, all eyes are now on Wild Cats, as she pulls away just enough from the two that had been running with her, to set her sights on the pacesetters. She’d stay on the rail and would have no reason to leave it for the stretch. Bella Latte and Painville had not been able to keep up with her, and further back, neither Be Exceptional or Demanding Commander had shown much interest as of yet.

(Finish- 1:32.98)- Early in the stretch, it may have looked like Wander would hang on for the victory. That would not be the case, as she would begin to show some signs of fatigue as evidenced by the fact that Reaper Lightning was coming back on her. However, the persistence and determination of Wild Cats on the inside would be all too much for either of the two leaders, getting up just in time to pull off the victory, which is her fourth in a row. Reaper Lightning swiped second away from Wander, and it’s two and a half lengths to the fourth place Painville, who didn’t do much today. Then, it’s Bella Latte and Be Exceptional, with Demanding Commander never looking like she was with it today as soon as they opened the gate.

About The Winner- Wild Cats, trained by Smokey Stover and ridden to victory by Mario Gutierrez, is a four-year-old filly by Breath Of The Wild and is out of the late Cats Landing. She was bred in New York as a third quarter two-year-old by Smokey Stover, the only trainer for which she has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her eighth in 13 starts, her second stake win and first graded win. Her career earnings are now $836.730.

Track: Firm
Time: :23  :46¹  1:09²  1:32⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 7 Paid 271.10
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 7 – 5 Paid 1,413.50

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES