Queen of God takes Bourbonette Stakes; favored Laura's Light fades to fourth

Queen of God sprang an upset in the $150,000 Bourbonette Oaks on Saturday at Turfway Park as 4-5 favorite Laura's Light could only hold on for fourth.

The Bourbonette offered its top finishers points toward the 14-horse starting gate for the Kentucky Oaks on a 20-8-4-2 scale. None of the fillies who started in the Bourbonette held qualifying points entering the race, and Queen of God ($15.60), who is trained by Mike Maker for Winners Circle Racing Stable, was not among the early nominees for the filly classic that were announced by Churchill Downs last month.

Fillies can still be made eligible through a $1,500 late nomination fee by April 11, or a $25,000 supplemental nomination due at entry time. Maker said that the filly's owners are out of the country, so he was unable to immediately comment on upcoming plans.

"Very pleased with the result," Maker said. "She's a very game, aggressive filly."

Queen of God, a Paynter filly, has now won four of seven career starts, climbing the ranks since winning a maiden-claiming race last November at Gulfstream Park West. She came into Saturday's race off a victory in the Mrs. Presidentress Stakes at a mile on the Gulfstream Park turf last month.

Laura's Light, who trainer Peter Miller shipped in from California, was coming off a series of strong performances on turf, as she won the Blue Norther Stakes in December and the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes in February.

The favored filly broke alertly and was well-held by Turfway leading rider Albin Jimenez as she sat off the hip of longshot Swanage through a half-mile in 47.64 seconds. Laura's Light easily took the lead on the far turn, galloping clear with her ears pricked, and took a length advantage into the stretch.

However, Impeccable Style, who had made up ground on the far turn and taken second, had dead aim on the leader, and Queen of God, who had stalked in fourth through six furlongs, was rallying fastest of all on the outside under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Queen of God inhaled the two leaders inside the final furlong, despite lugging in near the sixteenth grounds. Pass the Plate, who had been closing outside of Queen of God, ducked inside that one to continue her rally, with Queen of God holding on by three-quarters of a length at the wire.

The final time for the mile on the Polytrack was 1:37.77.

Behind Pass the Plate, it was 1 1/2 lengths to Impeccable Style in third. Another length behind came Laura's Light, who held off Las Ramblas, the longest shot on the board, by a neck.

"She was really fresh," Jimenez said of Laura's Light. "She dragged me up there. I tried to hold her, but after the half-mile, she took the lead. She flattened out the last 200 yards."

Pass the Plate and Impeccable Style were both coming off races in which they faced the 3-year-old filly divisional leaders at Fair Grounds. Pass the Plate was sixth in the Silverbulletday Stakes on Jan. 18, finishing 4 1/4 lengths behind the streaking Finite, then finished third in the Shantel Lanerie Memorial on turf behind Alms.

Impeccable Style was fifth, beaten 8 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 15, where Finite bested Eclipse Award champion British Idiom.