Gina Romantica gives Brown fifth QE II Challenge Cup win

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chad Brown didn’t run 1-2-3 in the $569,125 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Saturday at Keeneland – but that’s only because he only had two in.

True to form, Gina Romantica pulled away in the final furlong as her stablemate McKulick was up for second in extending Brown’s record for QE II wins by a trainer to five. The winner was ridden by Flavien Prat for Brown and owner Peter Brant when returning $11.06 as third choice among six 3-year-old fillies in the sixth and last Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet.

“Five Queen Elizabeths,” said Brown, whose domination of American turf racing – particularly with fillies – includes a number of 1-2-3 sweeps in major races in recent years. “This is probably the most memorable, obviously, with the recent passing of The Queen” on Sept. 8. “What an honor.”

On a spectacular fall afternoon, Prat made no mistakes on Gina Romantica after breaking from post 2 as he resisted joining the early pace before getting his mount into the bridle midway down the backstretch, all the while saving ground in a 1 1/8-mile race run over a firm turf.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets.

“The pace was fair,” Prat said. “She relaxed well and really kicked home when it was time to make a move.”

Gina Romantica rallied between the tiring front-runner, Paris Peacock, and Bellabel, the 3-1 second choice who attended all the pace. As Gina Romantica kept edging away, her stablemate, McKulick, was all-out under Irad Ortiz Jr. to get second as the 4-5 favorite.

The winning time was 1:48.20 over firm going, and the win margin was 1 3/4 lengths, with McKulick up by a neck for second over Bellabel. Completing the order were California Angel, She’s Gone, and Paris Peacock.

One of the top would-be contenders, New Year’s Eve, was an early scratch due to a foot abscess, according to trainer Brendan Walsh.

Gina Romantica, by uber-sire Into Mischief, was bred in Kentucky by the Machmer Hall of Craig and Carrie Brogden. Brant bought her for $1,025,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sales. The bay filly began her career with four starts on dirt, followed by a win in the restricted Riskaverse at Saratoga in her grass debut in August, followed by a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Pebbles last month on the Aqueduct turf.

“She’s required a lot of patience,” Brown said. “A lot of Plan Bs and Plan Cs with a horse we first thought was a dirt horse. Getting her a little more distance and a little more experience, she’s really become a nice filly.”

Brown’s prior wins in the QE II, which was first run in 1984 with the queen in attendance, came with Dayatthespa (2012), Rushing Fall (2018), Cambier Parc (2019), and Shantisara (2021).

The $2 exacta (2-6) paid $19.02, the $1 trifecta (2-6-5) returned $22.62, and the 10-cent superfecta (2-6-5-1) was worth $7.19.

*** Beverly Park was narrowly defeated in the last of 10 Saturday races when attempting to further his record as the winningest horse in North America this year. The 5-year-old Munnings horse was third behind The Queens Jules (5-1) in a three-way battle to the wire in a $61,000 starter-allowance at six furlongs.

Beverly Park still has 11 wins from his 24 starts this year for trainer Norman “Lynn” Cash.

*** A five-day race week ends Sunday with a nine-race card featuring the Grade 3 Franklin Stakes for filly-mare turf sprinters. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the Franklin going at 4:12 as race 7.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.