On Time Girl outlasts the field in the Eight Belles, Courtney Snow/Past The Wire
Churchill Downs Press
LOUISVILLE, KY – Albaugh Family Stables’ homebred On Time Girl swept past dueling leaders at midstretch and drew off for a 1 1/2-length victory over Luv Your Neighbor to win the 71st running of the $680,000 Eight Belles (GII) presented by Sysco for 3-year-old fillies Friday afternoon at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., On Time Girl completed the seven furlongs on a fast main track in 1:22.16. It is the fourth victory in the race for Cox, whose previous winners were Benner Island (2017), Break Even (2019) and Matareya (2022).
French Friction and River Wind dueled through early fractions of :22.55 and :45.48 while Ortiz kept On Time Girl in the clear from her outside post while racing in mid pack. Moving widest of all at the top of the stretch, On Time Girl began picking off horses and cleared off with enough to hold off an inside bid from Luv Your Neighbor.
Now a two-time graded stakes winner, On Time Girl is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Not This Time out of the Uncle Mo mare Girl Daddy. On Time Girl has a record of 7-5-1-1 and is unbeaten in three starts at Churchill Downs.
Favored in the field of nine, On Time Girl returned $5.92, $4.14 and $3.02. Luv Your Neighbor, ridden by Luis Saez, returned $9.12 and $5.14 with Paradise finishing another 1 ½ lengths back and returning $5.10 to show under John Velazquez.
River Wind was another 2 lengths back in fourth and followed in order by Goodall, Sippin Pretty, Solemn Vow, Front Runnin and French Friction.
EIGHT BELLES QUOTES
Irad Ortiz Jr. (Jockey, On Time Girl, winner): “We got a beautiful trip. We were a little wide around the turn, but she really responded when I asked for her best. She is a nice filly.”
Brad Cox (Trainer, On Time, winner): ‘We asked her to stretch out in distance and she gave us an honest effort. I think one turn is what she’s best at right now. She ran a big race today.’
Luis Saez (Jockey, Luv Your Neighbor, second): “She ran big. She had a good trip and thought she would be better at this distance (seven furlongs). She simply got beat by a better filly. I wish I could have been outside but that’s just how racing goes sometimes.”
John Velazquez (Jockey, Paradise, third): “I got excited at the quarter-pole as I thought I had a real chance to get up there. We knew it was going to be really fast up front and my horse made a good run but just not good enough to pass the top two.”
