Gary Broad's Vergara once again found the undulating turf at Kentucky Downs to her liking in winning the $1-million Ladies Marathon (G3), the first of six graded stakes worth a combined $6.7-million on Kentucky Downs' 12-race card Saturday.
Winner of last year's Dueling Grounds Oaks at the Franklin, Kentucky track, the 4-year-old Noble Mission filly scored her first win of 2023 Saturday and first in a graded stakes after tracking from second as pacesetter Grenall laid down slow early fractions in the 1 5/16 mile contest. Drawing to within a half length of the leader nearing the home turn, Vergara easily wrested the lead and continued on to score by three-quarters of a length from Transient, who came on from last and menaced in the closing stages.
Sinfiltre finished third, another three-quarters of a length behind Transient.
Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Joel Rosario, Veragra completed the trip in 2:10.9 and returned $6.52 for the victory, her fourth 13 career starts. She came into the Ladies Marathon off a fifth in the Glens Falls (G2) Aug. 3 at Saratoga.
Bred in Kentucky by Neil Jones and produced by the Street Cry mare Figure of Beauty, she was a $130,000 purchase by Gary Broad/Walmac Farm from the Indian Creek consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Vergara w named for actress Sophia Vergara, famous for her role in the television series “Modern Family”. The winner's share of $608,280 made her a millionaire in her 13th career start for Motion. She has lifetime purse earnings of $1,102,213.
Ladies Marathon Quotes
Joel Rosario, winning jockey, Vergara: “She broke really well. The horse that set up the speed (Glenall), I got a little behind her. They were going a little slow. I guess at some point she was tugging a little bit, but very comfortable. Graham told me just to be comfortable with her. She likes it here. I'd like to thank Graham and all the team.
“Every time a horse came to her, she was wanting to do it. She always tries really hard, this filly. Like I say, she likes it here.”
Assistant trainer Alice Clapham, 1st, Vergara – “Joel said she was a little keen because they slowed it down quite a bit. He said she just loves it around here. She won here last year. When they slowed it down again, he said he was just going to go for home and she did all the rest on her own. He said there was more there. With them taking the rail down and having the fresh track, he said it was really nice. When she won last year … when they like this course … they come back and just bounce around here again. She loves going up and down the hills.
(Trainer Graham Motion, she said, was on a plane when the race was run. He is returning from France, where he spent time, along with his wife, Anita, with her dad, who was celebrating his 80th birthday this week).
“Everyone has been saying she has been training great since she ran at Saratoga. They were all saying she was doing really good and they proved to be right. It's great to win here. It's a great place to come and enjoy it. The weather has been great fun to be here.”
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., 2nd, Transient – “We had enough of a chance to run her down. She is a kind of a difficult filly to relax, Tyler (jockey Gaffalione) did a great job in getting her to relax. I'm proud of that. Obviously, the winner was going well at the top of the stretch. We were close enough, but we just could not run her down today. On the day we were second best. You always want to be first, but that's racing. You can't win them all and I am proud of the filly, she ran good, and she came back well. You can't complain.”
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