Brown extends Diana dominance as Kathynmarissa gets up over stablemate Segesta
:quality(75))
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − Trainer Chad Brown’s success in the Diana Stakes has been well documented. Ten wins since 2011, nine of the last 10 and four straight.
Owner Michael Dubb was not part of any of those victories. When Dubb moved Kathynmarissa from Rick Dutrow Jr. to Brown last year, Dubb mentioned the Diana as a dream race he’d love to win.
Saturday, Dubb’s dreams came true after Kathynmarissa rallied from sixth in the seven-horse field to run down pace-setting Segesta and win the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana by a half-length at soggy Saratoga. Segesta finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Portfolio Duration as Brown trainees finished one-two-three. A fourth Brown horse, Dynamic Pricing, was nosed out for fourth by Cathedral. Ozara and Five G finished sixth and seventh.
So, that made Brown’s tally in the Diana 11 wins overall, 10 of the last 11 and five straight. For Dubb, he’s 1 for 1.
“I never thought I would have a horse that could win the Diana, so I’m over the moon, I can’t event put it in words,” Dubb said.
“It’s a dream race. I won big races here in Saratoga, but the Diana is kind of in a league of its own. So, I’m ecstatic.”
Brown was ecstatic to see rain, which came just as the card began but became heavy after the first race was run. Brown felt the race desperately needed rain and even though it was listed as yielding − and NYRA moved three scheduled turf races to the dirt − he thought it was better in better condition than that.
“I think the turf course was pretty thirsty,” Brown said. “I know it’s listed as yielding but I’m sure it could have used at least the first portion of that rainstorm to get into the ground. We started off the meet a little slow, but when there’s some give in the ground and my horses can get their toe in it, they can really accelerate no matter where they’re positioned… So I was very pleased when it started raining today.
“The first two finishers ran very, very well,” Brown added. “Portfolio Duration might have worn herself out on the first turn. I thought she’d be a little closer. She might have had a little trouble and might have worn herself out a little bit.”
Jose Ortiz, aboard Kathynmarissa, thought he might have been in a difficult spot when he was sixth entering the first turn.
Ortiz thought Five G might be a more-forward factor to put some pressure on Segesta, who, under Dylan Davis, got away with a half-mile in 50.42 seconds and six furlongs in 1:15.75 on the front end.
Ortiz was committed to following Manny Franco on Portfolio Duration and moved when that one moved entering the far turn Kathynmarissa moved. Kathynmarissa came widest of all in the stretch and gradually wore down Segesta, getting past her in the final four strides.
“When we hit the first turn, I noticed the pace backed up a lot − Five G wasn’t in there − so I knew that was going to be a problem,” Ortiz said. “But I was already committed to that position behind Manny so I stick with it and I just hoped for the best. She gave me a great turn of foot.”
Kathynmarissa, a 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah, covered the 1 1/8 miles over yielding turf in 1:56.44 and returned $6.58 as the favorite. Dubb owns Kathynmarissa with Michael Caruso.
Dubb moved Kathynmarissa after Dutrow had her in California during the winter of 2024-25, but had an assistant with her instead of being there himself.
After Kathynmarissa won an allowance for Brown last August at Saratoga, she was put away due to bone bruising in an ankle, Brown said. Kathynmarissa came back off the bench with a victory in the Grade 3 Modesty at Churchill Downs in May before finishing third in the Grade 1 New York behind Portfolio Duration.
For Brown, it was the fourth time he ran 1-2-3 in the Diana, also doing so in 2023, 2022 − that year he ran 1-2-3-4 − and in 2019.
“Listen, to have a 1-2-3 finish in this race, a race we had a lot of success in, I got to give a lot of credit to my team,” Brown said. “Four fillies in this race, three of them ran really well, it takes a lot of different tasks daily executed perfectly to bring the horses into the Diana perfectly and they do it.”
Every year.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.