Kentucky Downs’ Barn Notes: Stellify Sets Sights On Ladies Marathon Invitational

Elements Racing, George Messina, and Michael Lee’s Stellify will seek a title defense while attempting to keep her perfect Kentucky Downs record intact in Sunday’s Grade 3, $1.5 million Global Tote Ladies Marathon Invitational for fillies and mares going 1 5/16 miles.

Trained by reigning meet leading trainer Brad Cox, Stellify is one of six Graded stakes-winners in the nine-horse field and brags a 2-for-2 record at Kentucky Downs, earning both victories within nine days of each other. The 5-year-old daughter of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify won a second-level allowance optional claimer going 1 ½ miles last August 28 over firm turf, just over one week before a gate-to-wire score in last year’s Ladies Turf Marathon by 2 ¾ lengths.

“She really showed her talent when she won the two-other-than at Kentucky Downs last year,” Messina recalled. “As soon as Florent Geroux got off of her, he told us that we should wheel her back the next week for the stake. Brad and I looked at each other and said ‘Why not?’.”

Stellify will look to get back on a winning track, entering from a seasonal debut when fourth in the Grade 2 Beverly D. on August 1 at Colonial Downs. She rounded out her campaign last year when seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar.

“She was training lights out, and she’s still training lights out,” Messina said. “We weren’t afraid of the competition. We had to get her started and we thought that would be a good comeback spot for her. We were hoping that she would break on top like she does, but she kind of got pushed around a little coming out of the gate. Manny [Franco] just let her settle. It was a good comeback race, and it set her up really well for this race on Sunday. She should run a big race.”

Stellify boasts a field-high bankroll of $1,486,604 through an 8-4-1-1 lifetime record.

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Stellify is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Savvy Star, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Bluegrass Cat. She hails from the prominent broodmare lines of Reine-de-course mares like Numbered Account, Intriguing, and La Troienne.

Reigning Eclipse Champion Jockey Flavien Prat will pick up the mount aboard Stellify from post 8.

While Stellify looks to build on her Kentucky Downs accomplishments, Pin Up Betty will try to make amends after two unplaced efforts over the surface. Trained by Kentucky Downs’ all-time leading trainer Mike Maker, Pin Up Betty was sixth in last year’s Grade 3 Resolute Racing Ladies Turf and sixth in the 2024 Dueling Grounds Oaks. A dual Graded stakes-winning millionaire, the 5-year-old daughter of Constitution captured the Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs during her 3-year-old year, and won last year’s Grade 3 Mint Julep over the Louisville oval. Two starts back, she captured the Anchorage at Churchill Downs for the second straight year.

Five-time meet leading rider Tyler Gaffalione will ride from post 6.

Resolute Racing’s Dona Clota [post 1, Jose Ortiz] attempts to give trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. his second Graded winner this meet after capturing Opening Day’s Grade 1 Never Say Die Ladies Turf Sprint with In Our Time. A Group 1-winner in her native Chile, Dona Clota earned her first Northern Hemisphere triumph two starts back in the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial in June at Delaware Park going 1 ⅜ miles.

Dona Clota’s French-bred stablemate Venencia [post 3, Micah Husbands] will pursue her first win since last October’s Grade 3 Dowager at Keeneland, which was her lone start for her prior trainer Brendan Walsh. The 6-year-old mare was bought for $250,000 at last year’s Keeneland November Sale by her current owner Miller Racing.

Twin Oaks Bloodstock’s multiple Graded stakes-placed Way to Be Marie [post 2, Ben Curtis] will return to Kentucky Downs after finishing second to Stellify in last year’s edition. The 5-year-old daughter of leading North American sire Not This Time was acquired by her current owner from the Keeneland January Sale, where she was bought for $750,000. She is trained by Eddie Kenneally, and nears millionaire status with a bankroll of $970,125.

Completing the field are Brazilian Group 1-winner Night of Rose [post 4, Walter Rodriguez], stakes-winner Hey Jessie [post 5, Florent Geroux], Graded stakes-winner Public Assembly [post 7, Luis Saez], and three-time winning Graded stakes-placed Golden Sunshine [post 9, Jaime Torres].

The Global Tote Ladies Marathon Invitational is carded as Race 10 with a scheduled post time of 5:52 PM CT. First post is 12:25 PM CT.

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KatieRich Stables’ dual Graded stakes-winning millionaire May Day Ready will make a long-awaited return to Kentucky Downs for Sunday’s $500,000 One Dreamer, a 1 1/16-mile event restricted for fillies and mares that have not won a sweepstakes in 2026.

The 4-year-old daughter of influential sire Tapit made her stakes debut a winning one in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies during her juvenile season two years ago for her former trainer Joseph Lee, and followed that effort with a triumphant Graded debut in Keeneland’s Grade 2 Jessamine .

Now trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, May Day Ready will sport blinkers for the first time in Sunday’s event, entering from a third-place finish in the Osunitas on July 25 at Del Mar.

Reigning Eclipse Champion Jockey Flavien Prat will pick up the mount from post 3.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. has cross-entered Hang the Moon [post 1, Tyler Gaffalione] in the One Dreamer, also entering the multiple Graded stakes-winner in Saturday’s Grade 2 Resolute Racing Ladies Turf. The 6-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo was a last-out runner-up in the De La Rose at Saratoga, which was won by And One More Time, the next-out winner of the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga. 

Two-time Kentucky Downs meet-leading trainer Joe Sharp will saddle a pair of One Dreamer contenders in Repole Stable’s Miwa [post 4, Jose Ortiz], and Redhawk Racing’s For Love and Honor [post 5, Brian Hernandez, Jr.].

Bred in Great Britain, Miwa was a winner of her seasonal debut two starts back, which came in a third-level Churchill Downs allowance optional claimer going one mile. Third in last year’s Grade 3 Ladies Marathon, Miwa defeated second-level allowance optional claiming company at Kentucky Downs in her start prior.

For Love and Honor, a 5-year-old daughter of Sky Mesa, will make her first start at Kentucky Downs since breaking her maiden going one mile in August 2024. She enters from an off-the-turf allowance optional claimer in July at Ellis Park, where she finished second.

Completing the field are stakes-winner Bourbon Memory [post 2, Ben Curtis], who makes her first start at Kentucky Downs for trainer Brendan Walsh; and Graded stakes-placed Cheetah Lady [post 6, Joseph Ramos], who defeated winners at Kentucky Downs going one mile last year.

The One Dreamer honors Glen Hill Farm’s homebred millionaire who captured the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff in 1994 for trainer Tom Proctor. A seven-time stakes-winner, One Dreamer captured the 1993 Rachel Jackson at Kentucky Downs, then known as Dueling Grounds.

Carded as Race 8 on Sunday’s 12-race program, the One Dreamer has a scheduled post time of 4:29 PM CT.

The 1/ST BET Kentucky Downs Meet will be broadcast live each day of the seven-day meet on Peacock, FanDuelTV, as well as Kentucky Downs’ YouTube channel @kydownsracing. NBC Sports also will provide live coverage of Opening Day from 3:00-5:00 PM CT, while NBC will air Kentucky Downs on Saturday, September 5 during the same time slot.