Princess Warrior gets long-awaited stakes win in Mrs. Revere
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After winning at Churchill Downs in her debut in September 2017 and following that race with a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland a month later, it seemed only a matter of time before Princess Warrior would become a graded stakes winner.
A little more than a year later, that day finally came Friday at Churchill Downs. Princess Warrior recorded the first stakes victory of her 14-race career by taking the Grade 2, $200,000 Mrs. Revere for 3-year-old fillies in an 11-1 upset.
Although a bit overlooked in the wagering, she was hard to miss in the race itself. In seventh early as Cool Beans set a soft pace of 50.01 seconds and 1:15.83 over a yielding turf course in the 1 1/16-mile race, Princess Warrior launched a determined rally on the second turn that brought her into contention. She circled the field four wide, took command in midstretch, and held Canadian invader Get Explicit at bay for a length decision.
A daughter of Midshipman owned by Andrew, Evan, and Matthew Trommer, Princess Warrior raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.61, paying $24.60.
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Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said he liked Princess Warrior’s chances Friday after she had been fourth last month at Keeneland in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth, beaten 6 ¾ lengths by Rushing Fall.
“I was pretty confident in my filly the whole way, knowing when I called on her she would give us that kind of run,” he said.
Front-running Cool Beans held third, two lengths behind Get Explicit. She was followed by fourth-place Kabella and fifth-place Stella di Camelot, the 1-2 favorite, who after breaking slowly and getting bumped, raced keenly early and was even paced over the second half of the race.
Winning trainer Ken McPeek said some of Princess Warrior’s struggles earlier in the year came when she was in heat, and was pleased to see her form improve over the second half of 2018, which coincided with a move from dirt to turf.
“You have to try a little of this and that with them,” he said, pointing to how a similar surface switch elevated the performance of Daddys Lil Darling, a filly he campaigned to become a millionaire.
He would like to see Princess Warrior emulate Daddys Lil Darling further by winning the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita on Dec. 29. Daddys Lil Darling won the race in 2017.