Sweet Melania much the best in Jessamine; earns berth in Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

LEXINGTON, Ky. – On paper, the 29th Jessamine Stakes looked like it might unfold in any manner of ways – but once the field of 14 2-year-old fillies straightened away down the backstretch of the Keeneland turf course, it was nothing but a one-filly race.

Sweet Melania, ridden by Jose Ortiz, dominated from the five-furlong pole to the wire, earning the 10th and last Win and You’re In berth to the Breeders’ Cup of this meet by virtue of a record-setting romp Wednesday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Jessamine.

“This is fantastic,” said Robert Low, who with his wife, Lawana, owns Sweet Melania, a filly from the first crop of American Pharoah. “We’re looking forward to going to California” for the Nov. 1 BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

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Sweet Melania, trained by Todd Pletcher, returned $8 as second choice after finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.13 over a good turf course. Her 5 1/2-length win margin was the largest in race history.

Witez, a 45-1 shot, was up for second, three-quarters of a length before Ask Bailey at 21-1. Jezebel’s Kitten, the 2-1 favorite, was fourth, another 1 1/4 lengths back.

Before an ontrack crowd of 9,583, and under cloudy skies, Jezebel’s Kitten took early command, but Ortiz eased his mount to her outside flank in the first turn and had her in front leaving the bend. Into the homestretch, the Kentucky-bred filly quickened away, leaving no doubt as to her superiority on this day.

Sweet Melania had won once in four prior starts, capturing a July maiden race and finishing second in the ungraded P.G. Johnson Stakes, both of them 1 1/16-mile turf races at Saratoga.

“She won her maiden going wire to wire,” said Ortiz. “The way she broke today, I knew she was going to be there. When I asked her at the quarter pole, she gave me a great turn of foot.”

The stakes victory was the 55th at Keeneland for Pletcher, adding to his all-time leading total at this 83-year-old track.

The $2 exacta (6-8) paid $440, the $1 trifecta (6-8-14) returned $4,448, and the 10-cent superfecta (6-8-14-5) was worth $1,656.67.