Sister Lou Ann grinds out One Dreamer victory over tiring turf

Sister Lou Ann has been learning to race, not just run, and she put her budding professionalism to use winning the $500,000 One Dreamer Stakes on Thursday at Kentucky Downs.

Sister Lou Ann wore down pacesetting For the Flag to post a 1 1/2-length victory in the One Dreamer, restricted to fillies and mares who hadn’t won a 2023 stakes race.

The Thursday card was run under testing conditions, the One Dreamer a long slog that took the winner 1:44.63 to cover a mile and 70 yards. For context on how slow that clocking was, the Kentucky Downs course record at the distance is 1:38.70. After rain Wednesday, the turf was officially labeled good, but it looked soft out there, the horses kicking up large chunks of turf, many failing to achieve anything close to baseline form. Most jockeys were avoiding the inner part of the course and Jose Ortiz kept Sister Lou Ann wide throughout.

Saffie Joseph Jr. trains Sister Lou Ann, owned by Ken Ramsey and bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey. The 4-year-old filly won the Martha Washington over a route of ground on the Gulfstream Park turf in June 2022 but had since lost six straight.

A need-the-lead type, Sister Lou Ann kept failing to show up if she didn’t make the lead, but after a dismal showing at Woodbine in the Nassau Stakes in July, Joseph removed blinkers for Sister Lou Ann’s next start, a Saratoga allowance race on Aug. 17. The filly rated a bit off the pace, and while finishing a close third was gaining rather than losing ground at the end of the race.

:: Download a free copy of Daily Racing Form's 2023 Kentucky Downs Player's Guide

Sister Lou Ann sat third Thursday as For the Flag, kept well off the fence, led the field through a half mile in 49.94 seconds. Present Moment made an early inside bid and had the lead at the third point of call, pushing Sister Lou Ann back to third, but Present Moment quickly faded off the scene, leaving Sister Lou Ann and For the Flag to fight it out. The pair raced head and head to the stretch call before Sister Lou Ann edged away through the final half-furlong to win clear. Jubilee Bridge was third, 1 1/4 lengths behind For the Flag, while 2-1 favorite Viareggio finished fifth after being rated off the pace nearest the inside rail.

Sister Lou Ann ($10.46) is by Frosted out of Granny Mc’s Kitten, by Kitten’s Joy. She failed to meet a $70,000 reserve at a 2020 yearling sale, and after failing to win in more than 14 months, she passed a horse in the homestretch for the first time in her career to take down a rich pot.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.