In Italian turns back stablemate Regal Glory to win First Lady
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- This time, In Italian was the first lady home. In Italian, whose only losses this season have come in races won by her Chad Brown-trained stablemates, captured the Grade 1, $750,000 First Lady Stakes on Saturday on the Keeneland turf.
In Italian bested stablemate Regal Glory – who was also second in this race last year – by a length. Both multiple Grade 1 winners are owned by Peter Brant and trained by Brown, who won the First Lady for the fifth straight year and sixth time overall. Brown also saddled fourth-place Technical Analysis, a multiple graded stakes winner, for Klaravich Stables.
“All three of my horses were positioned where I thought they would be,” Brown said. “They all had pretty clean breaks. The jockeys got them to where, at least, our Plan A was. And from there, it was just a matter of who was going to kick, and In Italian seemed to kick the best today.”
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In Italian ($7.74), who was sent away as the third choice behind her two stablemates, has never missed the board in eight career starts, and has now earned just shy of a million dollars.
In the one-mile First Lady, In Italian led throughout under Joel Rosario. The filly led by a length through a comfortable half in 47 seconds on a turf course that produced quick times all day. When straightened away in the stretch, she lowered her body to extend her stride and kicked away, then held stoutly as Regal Glory attempted to eat into the margin late. She finished the mile in 1:33.22 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 104.
Regal Glory was 3 1/4 lengths clear of Princess Grace, who came on to edge Technical Analysis by a nose for third.
“Chad has done an amazing job with the two of them,” said Jose Ortiz, who was aboard Regal Glory. “Regal is a little bit older, but the other filly is tough. I feel like I had a great trip, and I had every opportunity to beat her, and I didn’t. I’m just very proud of Regal’s effort today.”
Brown said that In Italian will stretch out to 1 3/16 miles for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.
“I do think 1 3/16 miles is within her scope and her pedigree,” Brown said. “It might allow her to get even looser on the lead in a longer race, is my thinking.”
Meanwhile, Regal Glory will remain at this distance, taking on males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, also Nov. 5.
“I think it was a perfect prep for her,” Brown said. “She continued to show that she really likes Keeneland’s turf course.”
In Italian, a 4-year-old British-born Dubawi filly, won her second start, in May 2021, and “was on course to have a really good 3-year-old season,” Brown said. But In Italian had a bout with pneumonia over the summer that laid her up. After recuperating in Fair Hill, she returned to training.
“When she got delivered to me late in the year at Payson Park, she just never looked back,” Brown said. “She blossomed, and has had an outstanding year so far.”
In Italian started this year winning an allowance race and the Grade 3 Honey Fox in Florida. She then finished second in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile to the Brown-trained Speak of the Devil, and was third in the Grade 1 Just a Game won by Regal Glory. In Italian landed her own Grade 1 in the Diana Stakes at Saratoga, scoring a front-running win in that 1 1/8 mile race and besting Technical Analysis by 1 ½ lengths.
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