Hunter Valley Farm, Debra O'Connor and Marc Detampel's Family Way, outfinished when second in last month's The Very One (G3) in her prior start, swept to the lead on the far outside and passed her rivals through the stretch to become a graded stakes winner in the $150,000 Orchid Stakes (G3) Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
The 58th running of the 1 ½-mile Orchid for older fillies and mares was the first of 10 stakes, six graded, worth $2.2 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race program anchored by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1).
Rather than press the pace as she did in the 1 3/8-mile The Very One March 5, Family Way settled at the back of a six-horse field under patient handling from Tyler Gaffalione as 16-1 long shot Champagne Ivy led the way through the opening quarter-mile.
Scarabea, fourth by a half-length in the 1 ½-mile La Prevoyante (G3) Jan. 29 at Gulfstream, was eager to go after running third early on and found herself on the lead approaching the stretch for the first time tracked by Champagne Ivy with Harajuku saving ground on the rail and Beautiful Lover in the clear three wide.
The order stayed that way until they straightened for home and Gaffalione set Family Way down for a drive to the wire, forging a short lead past the eighth pole and drawing clear to win by 1 ¾ lengths in 2:29.08 on firm turf. She returned $5.
Harajuku held second over Beautiful Lover, followed by Sister Otoole, Scarabea and Champagne Ivy.
Family Way, trained by Brendan Walsh, is a 5-year-old daughter of champion Uncle Mo who made her first three starts in France in the fall of 2020 before coming to the U.S. She won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon last September, and came up a length short of Virginia Joy in the The Very One.
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