Gina Romantica. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Presented by UK HealthCare
Keeneland Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.–Peter Brant’s Gina Romantica roared past favored Ag Bullet at the eighth pole and coasted to a 2-length victory over stablemate Chili Flag (FR) to win the First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare.
Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Gina Romantica completed the mile over a firm turf course in 1:33.80. With the victory, she joins Uni (GB) as the only winners of the race in consecutive years. Uni won in 2019 and 2020.
Brown recorded his seventh consecutive victory in the race and eighth overall. His previous winners were Dayatthespa (2014), A Raving Beauty (GER) (2018), Uni, Blowout (GB) (2021) and In Italian (GB) (2022). For good measure, Fluffy Socks rallied for third to complete a Brown-trained trifecta.
Ag Bullet raced off to an uncontested lead with fractions of :22.81 and :46.01 as Ortiz gave Gina Romantica a ground-saving trip in third. At the top of the stretch, Gina Romantica came off the rail and took dead aim on Ag Bullet and blew past at midstretch.
A Keeneland sales graduate, Gina Romantica is a 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Special Me. It is her third Grade 1 victory with all of those wins coming at Keeneland beginning with the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana in 2022.
The victory was worth $430,125 and boosted her earnings to $1,786,228 with a record of 16-6-3-1.
Gina Romantica returned $8.84, $4.76 and $3.62. Chili Flag, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, returned $5.74 and $3.52 and finished 2 lengths in front of Fluffy Socks, who paid $6.82 to show under Frankie Dettori.
It was another neck back to Ag Bullet, who was followed in order by Evvie Jets, Tarawa (IRE), Special Wan (IRE), Walkathon, Whitebeam (GB), Implicated and Safeen.
Racing continues Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET with a 10-race program that features three stakes headlined by the $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) for fillies and mares. The Juddmonte Spinster is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race with the winner earning a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
Quotes from the $750,000 First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare
Jose Ortiz (winning rider of defending champion Gina Romantica): “It was beautiful. She loves it here. The break was key today. She broke very alert and put me into a great position going into the first turn. I was very happy throughout the backside, and when we hit the quarter pole, there was an opening between two horses, and she exploded.”
Tyler Gaffalione (rider of runner-up and stablemate Chili Flag-FR): “Everything went to plan. She relaxed and she got out when we needed to. She gave me a big run. We were just second best today. She’s a very talented filly. Does whatever you ask her; she’s very push button. I hope to get back on her in the future.”
