Go Lady Jay overcomes bad start to win Purple Violet

Slow starts tend to lead to poor outcomes for front-running horses, but Go Lady Jay recovered from hers Saturday and won the $50,000 Purple Violet Stakes for Illinois-bred 3-year-old fillies.

It was the first stakes win since 2008 for her rider, Jesse Lantz, and first ever for trainer Bradlee Rainwater, who had been 0 for 18 in stakes races.

Go Lady Jay hopped at the start, but Lantz said the filly relaxes best when she’s in front, so he decided to send her to contest the pace with rail-drawn Dundalk Bay. Go Lady Jay made the front, set moderate splits of 23.58 and 48.12 seconds, put away Dundalk Bay, and had plenty left to hold clear her pursuers. Flin Flon came up the fence to nab second, one length in front of Missalaney, with Dundalk Bay fourth and 2-1 favorite Silver Lode fading to fifth after trying to mount a rally at the top of the stretch.

Go Lady Jay ran a one-turn Polytrack mile in 1:37.78 and paid $11.60. That might have seemed a generous price for a filly who was 2 for 2 against Illinois-breds and who was coming off a 13 3/4-length blowout victory, but Go Lady Jay never had tried Polytrack, though she proved adept on the surface Saturday.

By Run Away and Hide and out of the Include mare Military Mama, Go Lady Jay is owned by John Truscott, who bred her in partnership with the Run Away and Hide syndicate.