Quality Star ends skid with late burst in Ellis Park Turf Stakes

Quality Star broke a seven-race losing streak while winning her first stakes race when she ran down heavily favored Callie’s Grit in the $150,000 Ellis Park Turf Stakes, the closing-day feature of the 2024 Ellis Park racing season.

Callie’s Grit was bet down to even money after morning-line favorite Heavenly Sunday was scratched from this 1 1/16-mile grass race for older fillies and mares. Two more scratches left a field of just six, with Callie’s Grit clearly the race’s lone real pace horse. But Callie’s Grit was rated through a half-mile in 50.27 seconds, extremely slow for the fast-playing Ellis turf course, and after six furlongs in 1:13.38, the chasing pack, owing to the walking pace, was hot on her heels. Callie’s Grit kicked home, but Quality Star, who had stalked the pace from fourth, was not letting her get away.

Quality Star, with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, made her move at the three-sixteenths pole, closing steadily through the final furlong and poking her head in front a few strides before the finish to win by a head. Callie’s Grit finished a half-length in front of Take a Stand, the second choice at 5-2. Third choice at a little over 5-1, Quality Star paid $12.78 to win while covering the distance over firm going in 1:42.10.

Five-year-old Quality Star is a Brownwood Farm homebred trained by Paulo Lobo. Racing for the first time since June 20, she won for just the third time in 19 outings. Quality Star is by Animal Kingdom out of Esstadista, by Essayons, and she proved narrowly best on the last day of the Ellis race meet.

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