Ms Quality Control uses bold move to upset Wintergreen Stakes

A bold move to the outside in the late going put Ms Quality Control in position to run down her foes for a one-length upset of the $125,000 Wintergreen Stakes for fillies and mares on Saturday night at Turfway Park.

Ms Quality Control ($19.86) was unhurried early by Adam Beschizza, the field stringing out as favored Dreaming of Mo, under a long hold, led a well-held Sand and Sea. The field began to bunch up toward the end of the backstretch, with Ms Quality Control, skimming the rail, advancing to fourth under her own power – but still about three lengths back as Dreaming of Mo hit the midway point of the one-mile race with a half-mile split of 49.48 on the Tapeta.

Ms Quality Control and Beschizza were kept on the inside around the far turn, as Austere moved outside of them to make a three-wide bid for the lead. Entering the stretch, Beschizza looked to split Dreaming of Mo, on the rail, and Sand and Sea, but with the hole moving quickly, he elected to tap on the brakes and take his mount around the outside near the furlong grounds. Once in the clear and four wide, Ms Quality Control wore down the three in front of her in the final yards, sweeping clear at the wire.

The time for the mile was 1:39.96.

In a blanket finish for the placings, Austere was second by a neck over Dreaming of Mo, who held third by another neck over Sand and Sea. It was 8 1/4 lengths back to the rest of the field, with Go Lee Ann Go, Vinos Angel, Everland, and Sun Bee rounding out the order of finish. Everland, a late-running multiple stakes winner at Turfway, was kept a bit closer than usual in the early going on a track that has been favoring forwardly-placed runners, but came up empty on the far turn.

Ms Quality Control, a 4-year-old Quality Road filly, is trained by Brad Cox for James F. Schurman. This was the first career stakes win for the consistent filly, who has only missed the top three twice in her 15 career starts. Third in the 2024 Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes in her only prior stakes start, she has now won three of her four most recent starts, and has perhaps established herself as a candidate for the Latonia Stakes on March 22 at Turfway.

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