Jody's Pride splashes home to easy victory in Busher

OZONE PARK, NY – Neither a wet track nor a 120-day layoff deterred the betting public from making Jody’s Pride odds-on in Saturday’s $200,000 Busher Invitational for 3-year-old fillies racing a one-turn mile at Aqueduct.

And Jody’s Pride didn’t disappoint them as last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up surged past pacesetter Carmelina to score in the driving rain by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:38.49 over sloppy going.

Trained by Jorge Abreu for breeder Steve Weston’s Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stables, Jody’s Pride tracked three wide as Carmelina and Princess Mayfair set fractions of 23.62 and 46.81 seconds.

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Princess Mayfair, who briefly broke through the gate before the start, called it a day after six furlongs in 1:11.96 as Carmelina was guided well off the inside to float Jody’s Pride to the center of the track.

Carmelina was very game, but Jody’s Pride was simply better in the final furlong. She splashed to the wire returned $3.90. Carmelina finished 2 1/2 lengths better than Gin Gin for the second. Then came Aoife’s Magic, Regulatory Risk, Sicilian Princess, and Princess Mayfair.

With the win, Jody’s Pride earned 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. She earned 15 points when second to 2023 champion juvenile filly Just F Y I in the Breeders’ Cup.

“I was a little concerned about the track being so wet, because she had never been on it,” Abreu said in the winner’s circle. “We gave her 30 days [after the Breeders’ Cup] just to give her a little break. We brought her back at Palm Meadows and she was doing everything great. We had her pointed to [Gulfstream’s] Davona Dale. At the last minute, Mr. Weston decided to run her here. So, I said ‘okay, let’s go’.”

Trainer Butch Reid was pleased with Carmelina’s effort as the multiple stakes winner was making her first start of the year.

“A little bit of a layoff, a couple of weeks at the farm, she ran really well,” said Reid. “She fought back when [Jody’s Pride] came to her. She was second best today.”

Reid said he would like to try Carmelina around two turns. “She’s speed, she could relax. I’m not discouraged at all with this filly,” Reid added.

Jody’s Pride is by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Make Mischief, a New York-bred that earned $753,650.

A 10 1/2-length debut winner of an off-the-turf maiden special weight traveling 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 9, Jody’s Pride prepped for the Breeders’ Cup by taking the six-furlong Matron, another off-turf heat, during the Belmont at the Big A meet on Oct. 8.

Abreu said Jody’s Pride’s final prep for the Kentucky Oaks will likely come in Aqueduct’s Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle Stakes going nine furlongs on April 6.

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