D J Stable's Lemieux, a 2-year-old daughter of 2016 Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, broke alertly from the gate, turned back some early pressure, and opened up through the stretch to earn her first stakes victory Saturday's $60,000 Brethren Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Ridden by Edwin Gonzalez for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, even-money favorite Lemieux ($4.20) ran one mile and 70 yards in 1:43.16 over the Tapeta. It was Gonzalez's ninth win over Gulfstream's newly installed all-weather surface, five of them coming for Casse.
Bred in Florida and sold for $100,000 as a yearling last fall at Keeneland, Lemieux was making her fifth career start and first since finishing off the board in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Pocahontas Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. She had run first or second in her prior three runs, including a four-length maiden special weight triumph Aug. 18 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Lemieux established command right from the gate and coasted through a quarter-mile in :24.06, chased by Brittiz and jockey Edgard Zayas. Brittiz turned up the pressure on the turn, drawing alongside the leader following a half in :48.28, but began to drop back as Lemieux approached the stretch in front and steadily drew clear to win by 6 ½ lengths.
Casse-trained stablemate Fish Mooney made a late run to get second over Brittiz, followed by Runaway Breeze, Yes I'm Spiteful, Straight to Go, and Science Fiction.
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