Kopion puts in easy half-mile breeze ahead of Great Lady M.

Kopion, the nation’s leading female sprinter, remains on schedule for the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos on July 5 after working a half-mile in 49.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Wednesday.

Kopion has had two half-mile workouts since a three-length win in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs on May 3.

“We just kept her easy,” trainer Richard Mandella said of Wednesday’s exercise. “Next week, we’ll do more serious stuff. She’s doing great.”

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The $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes is run at 6 1/2 furlongs and is the richest race of the three-week Los Alamitos meeting that runs from June 20 to July 6.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Kopion won her third consecutive stakes in the $1 million Derby City Distaff at seven furlongs. She returned from a seven-month rest to record an upset at 37-1 in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs at Santa Anita in December, and won her 2025 debut against older fillies and mares in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 1.

In her stakes wins at Santa Anita, Kopion was always near the front. At Churchill Downs, racing over a sealed and sloppy track for the first time in her sixth career start, Kopion closed from sixth of 10 to take a commanding lead in the final furlong under jockey Kazushi Kimura.

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