Ag Bullet fires through the stretch to take Monrovia Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ag Bullet disputed the pace for the first half-mile of Saturday’s Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes for fillies and mares at Santa Anita, zooming through fast fractions that often occur on the hillside turf course.

While Ag Bullet fought for the lead with Gracelund Gray, trainer Richard Baltas watched the race unfold with a measure of confidence. He saw how Ag Bullet had raced near the front when she won the restricted Wishing Well Stakes in her 2024 debut in February and thought jockey Umperto Rispoli was on his way to a similar result.

“He knows the horse,” Baltas said.

“She didn’t break that great. When he asked her, she took off. I was looking at the way he was holding here, and he didn’t ask her until he needed to.”

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Gracelund Gray set early fractions of 21.78 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 43.76 for a half-mile.

When Rispoli urged Ag Bullet, she responded to move past Gracelund Gray, pulling clear through the stretch to win the $101,000 race by 1 1/2 lengths over 13-1 Miss Lizzy, who closed from last of seven.

Getthemoney (3-1) finished third, ending a remarkable streak of six consecutive wins from earlier in the program for jockey Frankie Dettori. Dettori won the second through seventh race on the 12-race program and did not ride the eighth. The Monrovia was the ninth race.

Getthemoney was well-placed in third on the hillside portion of the course and in early stretch, but could not sustain the threat, finishing a head behind Miss Lizzy.

Lucky Girl finished fourth, followed by Gracelund Gray, Chismosa, and Comanche Country.

Ag Bullet was sent off favored and paid $5. She ran about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.67 and earned $60,000 for owners Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran. Ag Bullet earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

A 4-year-old filly by Twirling Candy, Ag Bullet has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $230,300. She was purchased for $220,000 as a yearling in 2021.

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