Princess Katie gets up in last stride of Irish Day

Princess Katie got up in the last jump to edge My Heart Goes On in the $50,000 Irish Day Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs Sunday. She paid $9.60 as the second choice in the one-mile race, which drew eight horses.

With Leslie Mawing aboard, Princess Katie was well back as even-money favorite Invested Prospect held a 2 1/2-ength lead after a half-mile in a sizzling 45.27 seconds. She was seventh at the six-furlong mark, but started to roll at the eighth pole and finished full of run to beat My Heart Goes On by head. The final time was 1:36.36.

My Heart Goes On was in front early but relinquished the lead to Invested Prospect. She made her bid at the five-sixteenths pole and opened up a clear lead heading into the stretch. Princess Kennedy rallied to finish third. Invested Prospect finished last.

Princess Katie is based at Hasting with trainer Rob Gilker, who didn’t like her chances when he was watching the early stages of the race.

“I was surprised to see her that far back and thought she was done,” he said. “I knew they were going fast up front, but speed usually does pretty well at this track.“

“I was a little worried at the half-mile pole,” said Mawing. “But I kept after her and she started to pick things up at the quarter pole.”

A British Columbia-bred daughter of Finality, Princess Katie is owned by Ernest Chu.