Lipstick City lands first stakes win in Boiling Springs

Lipstick City got a textbook trip from off the pace en route to her first career stakes victory Saturday in the 37th running of the $75,000 Boiling Springs at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

With Nik Juarez aboard, Lipstick City rallied from fifth in a field of eight 3-year-old fillies to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Majestic Bonnie, completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:45.70 over a turf course rated good. The winner paid $4.60 as favorite.

Lipstick City, a dark bay Kentucky-bred by City Zip, is owned by a partnership that includes Steve Laymon, William Robbins, Richard Broadbent IV, and others. She gave trainer Chad Brown his 30th stakes victory of 2017 and his 11th with a filly or mare on the grass.

In her previous start, Lipstick City was a fast-closing second last month in a one-mile allowance over the Monmouth turf. She now has won 2 of 6 career starts, with her lone prior stakes attempt resulting in an eighth-place finish last fall in the Grade 3 Jessamine at Keeneland.

“I thought the mile and a sixteenth was a perfect distance for her,” said Juarez. “I looked for a seam to get her out, and it worked out. I thought she was much the best today.”

Majestic Bonnie, the 4-1 third choice, ran on well to finish another 3 1/2 lengths before Watch Your Six. Untaken was fourth.

Owing to a hard rain Friday, the Boiling Springs was the only one of five Saturday races scheduled for the turf to stay on. The four earlier races were transferred to the main track.

The $2 exacta (4-3) paid $21, the $1 trifecta (4-3-1) returned $46.20, and the 10-cent superfecta (4-3-1-8) was worth $50.93.

This was the second win in the Boiling Springs for Brown, following Strict Compliance in 2015.