Red Mile: Takter trainees She's Moni, Madam Cheval 1-2 in Grade 1 Kentucky Filly Futurity

Trainer Nancy Takter snagged the top two finishing spots of the $300,000 Grade 1 61st Kentucky Filly Futurity when her trainee She's Moni overcame a second-tier draw to seize the front and never look back for a lifetime-best equaling 1:50 1/5 victory over stablemate Madam Cheval on Saturday (Oct. 3) at The Red Mile.

Driver Yannick Gingras planted She's Moni behind stablemate Madam Cheval (driven by Tim Tetrick) leaving the gate and spliced through traffic once Tetrick crossed over to the lead. Carve (Bjorn Goop) hustled out of post six to press for the lead but tucked into the pocket entering the first turn, giving She's Moni open road to roll for the lead to a 27 3/5 first quarter. She's Moni continued to speed on the lead in the backstretch as Custom (Jason Bartlett), parked from the start, idled uncovered on the rim with 2026 Hambletonian Oaks champ Nezuko Kamado S (Scott Zeron) in tow. Zeron unwound Nezuko Kamado S around stalled cover approaching a 54 1/5 half, but wobbled off-stride while She's Moni cruised on the lead.

She's Moni maintained an uncontested lead while charging for three-quarters in 1:22 2/5 as Custom retreated. Madam Cheval bided her time in her stablemate's slipstream rounding the bottom corner and gradually edged out of the pocket for an attack into the final eighth. She's Moni extended for the finish and hit the line a half-length better than Madam Cheval with Carve giving chase in third and 32-1 shot R Ro (Andy Miller) rallying for fourth.

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"I was waiting to see [behind the gate] - Timmy's filly is pretty sure-gaited and I thought was the right one to follow," Gingras said after the race. "I also had the option of maybe sliding behind [Nuance], but as the gate was getting ready to open I thought I was in a great spot.

"She's got a beautiful gait," Gingras also said of the winner. "She's strong. She can get a little bit aggressive here and there, but today she was super. I was lucky to pick her up three starts back and she's a wonderful filly. I thought I had enough to fend everybody off, but you just never know. They're quality fillies. I saw Scotty [Zeron with Nezuko Kamado S] made a break at the half, so obviously that's one I had to fear late in the race, but I knew she was out of the race."

A homebred for Brittany Farms LLC. and Marvin Katz, Shes Moni won for the fourth time from just 10 starts this season after a brief freshman campaign of one win from one start due to soundness issues. The Walner filly, out of the Cantab Hall mare Thats All Moni, has now earned $431,106.

"I was having a wonderful day before the race and it's even more wonderful now," said George Segal, winning co-owner of She's Moni through Brittany Farms. "I love breeding fillies and I love racing fillies. It's great, and being a partner with Marvin is even better."

"George [Segal] had one of the greatest, if not the greatest pacing broodmare bands the sport has ever seen," co-owner Marvin Katz said. "Hopefully we can replicate that with trotting. It's a big statement - I don't have that much hubris, but we're trying."

She’s Moni paid $8.14 to win.

Isabella Bi (Ake Svanstedt) won the $25,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity consolation with a 1:51 effort earlier in the card. Svanstedt swept to the lead with the daughter of Tactical Landing-Call Me Bi IT past a 27 4/5 first quarter and coasted through middle fractions of 55 3/5 and 1:23 1/5 to then stave off late pursuers for a neck victory. Southwind Chaska (Tim Tetrick) rallied for second past pocket-popping 2-1 favorite Sparks (Yannick Gingras) in third while Decreed (Todd McCarthy) rallied from near last for fourth.

Ake Svanstedt trains Isabella Bi for owners Ake Svanstedt Inc., Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, Little E LLC. and Mr. Lars Olsson. The filly won for the second time from 11 starts this season and the third time from 18 starts in her career, good for $178,564 in earnings. She paid $10.80 to win.

The 61st Kentucky Filly Futurity was named "The Atlanta" and sponsored by Crawford Farms. The Kentucky Filly Futurity consolation was sponsored by the Volume Eight Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.

--press release (Red Mile)--