Princess Grace adjusts, wins off-the-turf Mrs. Revere

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Princess Grace showed her versatility Saturday when gliding to a 2 3/4-length triumph in an off-the-turf renewal of the $200,000 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Florent Geroux, Princess Grace easily overtook the pacesetting Positive Danger when proceeding to her first stakes victory in the 1 1/16-mile Mrs. Revere. Now a winner in three of four overall starts, the daughter of Karakontie paid $7 as second choice in a field of six 3-year-old fillies.

Pass the Plate rallied in the upper stretch when finishing second. How Ironic was another 1 1/2 lengths back in second, while Stunning Sky, the 3-2 favorite, was another four lengths back in fourth.

“It went exactly as I thought it might unfold,” Geroux said. “She was going very nicely all the way.”

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Mike Stidham, the trainer of Princess Grace, watched from his northern Maryland base.

“Down the backside you saw Florent was in a great spot just off the leader,” Stidham said. “When he let out a notch, she just opened up impressively.”

The Mrs. Revere was taken off the turf despite a relatively light amount of rain in the local area over the last two weeks. Churchill has been experiencing major difficulty with the condition of the course and announced early Saturday that no further racing on turf will be held at least until the final week of the 24-day meet (Nov. 25-29).

Princess Grace, bred and owned by Susan and John Moore, finished in 1:44 over a fast track.

The Mrs. Revere was slated to be a Grade 2 prior to coming off the turf. Post-race approval from the American Graded Stakes Committee must be received to restore the grade.

The $2 exacta (4-6) paid $31.20, the $1 trifecta (4-6-5) returned $68.70, and the 10-cent superfecta (4-6-5-3) was worth $13.57.