Gina Romantica upsets stablemate In Italian in First Lady Stakes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In the 2022 renewal of the First Lady Stakes, In Italian upset her favored stablemate, Regal Glory. Saturday at Keeneland, it was odds-on favorite In Italian going down to a lesser regarded stablemate as Gina Romantica flew home to win the Grade 1, $750,000 First Lady by a head.

Regal Glory, In Italian, and Gina Romantica – all, amazingly, are trained by Chad Brown for owner Peter Brant. Brown’s record in the First Lady shines even brighter: This was his sixth straight win.

Four-year-old Gina Romantica’s career has been Keenland-centric. She was bred about 35 miles from here by Carrie and Craig Brogden’s Machmer Hall and sold at Keeneland’s September sale for $1,025,000. The First Lady marked her second win at the Grade 1 level; the first had come a little less than one year ago in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup – right here at Keeneland.

On paper, it was Brant and Brown’s Whitebeam who looked like In Italian’s most formidable rival. She’d beaten In Italian in their common last start, the Diana Stakes at Saratoga, and came here with progressive form as a lightly raced French import.

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Gina Romantica was 11-1, a long price on a horse from these connections, but she had been fourth in the Eatontown at Monmouth getting a slightly belated start to her season on June 17 and a well-beaten second behind Fev Rover in the Aug. 12 Beverly D. Gina Romantica, by Into Mischief out of Special Me, by Unbridled’s Song, came to the First Lady too slow to win the race but turned in the best performance of her career.

The Keeneland course was lively enough on a sunny, cool Saturday to play to In Italian’s strengths, and In Italian came back to Kentucky with a sterling local record, a win this past April in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley and an excellent second behind Tuesday last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf to go with her First Lady. Dappled and on her toes, she broke alertly and got to the lead, her preferred position, with little trouble, Joel Rosario keeping her a couple paths off the fence, which helps In Italian stay relaxed, Rosario said. The opening quarter went in 23.40 seconds, the half – with a wind-aided second quarter – in 46.80. Whitebeam had been in a claustrophobic spot stuck down on the fence the entire trip, and as In Italian coasted around the far turn, her backers had to believe she was home free.

Tyler Gaffalione was riding Gina Romantica for the first time, and the filly settled beautifully for him, galloping along sixth down the backstretch while saving ground. Gina Romantica still was fifth past the five-sixteenths pole as Gaffalione began to wake her up, coming off the rail turning for home and getting his mount into the clear.

“When I got her outside, she exploded,” Gaffalione said.

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Still fourth, about two lengths behind In Italian at the stretch call, Gina Romantica ran her final furlong in about 11.40, catching the leader 10 strides from the finish. In Italian fought back, but it was too late.

“She felt the same to me,” said Rosario, who won this race a year ago with In Italian. “She ran too good to get beat, but that’s how it goes sometimes. The other filly just ran a good race.”

It was far back to the others, Evvie Jets 3 3/4 lengths behind In Italian, keeping Brown and Brant from a top-three sweep beating Whitebeam by a half-length. The winning time for the mile on quick, firm going was 1:33.70. Gina Romantica paid $25.02.

Gina Romantica was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.

You knew Chad Brown and Peter Brant were going to extend their First Lady winning streak Saturday. You just didn’t know who was going to do it.

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