2024 First Lady Stakes Preview

The Grade 1 First Lady Stakes is the filly and mare turf mile feature of opening weekend at Keeneland. The race offers a $750,000 purse, and though it does not offer an automatic berth into a Breeders’ Cup race, horses who run well in it often shine in either the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf or the Breeders’ Cup Mile against males.

Leading lights in the 2024 edition of the First Lady include defending champion Gina Romantica, two-time Diana (G1) winner Whitebeam, Just a Game (G1) winner Chili Flag, and Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint (G2) winner Ag Bullet.

Both Tepin (2015) and Uni (2019) used this race as a springboard to beat the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in recent years. Back in 2005, Intercontinental won this race and then stretched out to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Five years before that, Perfect Sting used a second-place finish in this race as a springboard to the second-ever Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

First Lady Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, October 5
• Track: Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky
• Post Time: 4:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 mile on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 First Lady Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the 11 horses who entered the 2024 First Lady, in order of post position, along with post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

First Lady Stakes Prep Race Results

The 11 entrants in the First Lady come out of seven different races. Four horses come out of the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3) on August 31. Forwardly placed winner Walkathon leads that charge, while third-place Evvie Jets, fifth-place Fluffy Socks, and 11th-place Implicated will try to move forward.

Three other runners come out of other races at the rich Kentucky Downs meet. Ag Bullet shipped out from California to win the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint (G2) on August 31; she is a multiple stakes winner at a mile out west, and stretches out for a try at the top level. Safeen won the one-mile and seventy-yard One Dreamer, a restricted stakes at Kentucky Downs on September 5, after leading at every call. Special Wan, the only horse coming out of a non-stakes race, won a first-level allowance going a mile at Kentucky Downs on September 7, though she has a pair of group-level placings in Ireland.

The other four runners come out of graded or group stakes elsewhere. Whitebeam was last seen taking the Diana (G1) gate-to-wire at Saratoga on July 13, while Chili Flag has freshened since a flat ninth in that same race. Gina Romantica, a close third behind Whitebeam in the Diana, has raced once since: she was second beaten a neck in the Ballston Spa (G2) on August 22, also at Saratoga. The lone international shipper, Tarawa, won the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes (G2) at the Curragh on August 31.

2024 First Lady Stakes Contenders

These are the eight horses entered in the race, organized by post position:

1. Fluffy Socks: Her 7 3/4-length win in the Gallorette (G3) three starts back looked like a light-on effort, though a pair of off-the-board finishes in her next two starts against many of the foes she will face here suggests that she probably isn’t good enough to win at this level, or she needs soft ground to do it. She is 6: 3-2-0 at a flat mile, though, with that one off-the-board finish coming at the quirky Kentucky Downs. That isn’t enough to recommend her as a win candidate, but she could make exotics on her best day.
2. Tarawa: The lone overseas shipper, she comes in off of a Group 3 win at the Curragh going 1 ⅛ miles on August 31. The race has already graded out well, as second-place Hanalia won a Group 2 in her next start. That class should serve her well in the First Lady, though the post may be a challenge in a big field, and the mile may be a little sharp—she is 0-for-6 at a mile, with a trio of money finishes.
3. Safeen: This forwardly placed runner, a Grade 3 winner at 1 ⅛ miles last year, won the restricted One Dreamer last out at a mile and 70 yards. She shortens up to the mile for this, a distance that has been too sharp for her in general. The inside post may be a challenge as well, as there is some other speed that she’ll have to either rush to outgun, or try to find a place to track.
4. Gina Romantica: This Chad Brown charge rarely runs a bad race, but two of her best have been at Keeneland in the fall: she won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) two years ago and then the First Lady last year. It would be nice to see Flavien Prat back in the irons, though it’s understandable that he’s not: he is at Aqueduct riding a top juvenile for the same barn, Chancer McPatrick, in the Champagne (G1). Her new rider, Jose Ortiz, is obviously well-proven in big races, and with pace versatility, she could still show her best self again at Keeneland.
5. Walkathon: This Ian Wilkes trainee tries Grade 1 company for the first time since a fifth-place finish over this course in the 1 1/16-mile Jenny Wiley (G1) in the sprint. She carried a three-win streak into this spot, including wins both on the front end and from a stalking spot. The good news is, she has some back form at Keeneland, and at a mile. The drawback is, she needs to take a step up to contend against these foes, and who knows how much more she can find, since she is already five years old.
6. Evvie Jets: After a 29-1 shocker in the 2023 Ballston Spa, she has run in nothing but graded-stakes races. The bad news is that she hasn’t won again, but the good news is that she has nabbed a few placings along the way, including a third in the First Lady last year. She is versatile enough to nab a placing from just about any trip, though she demands a price in exotics since she will need her best to find another one of those places in the gimmicks.
7. Special Wan: She is the wild card in the race. She won her United States debut in September, taking down a first-level allowance at Kentucky Downs on September 7. Of course, this is a deeper field than that. However, she hit the board in both of her group-stakes tries in Ireland, including missing by only a head to the salty Mutasarref in the Ballycorus (G3) two back. Winning at a mile at Kentucky Downs means she should be plenty fit to tackle a mile at Keeneland, though she will need to move forward … and hope for a pace battle to unfold.
8. Chili Flag: The question is which version of her shows up. On her best, she is good enough to win this, and she showed in the Just a Game two back that she does not need the fastest pace in order to fire. But, she completely misfired in the Diana. It’s a positive that Tyler Gaffalione sees fit to ride, and also that she cuts back to a mile. But, don’t take chalk.
9. Implicated: She looked very much on the upswing through the late spring and early summer on the move from the Chad Brown barn to that of Brendan Walsh. She won a third-level allowance at Churchill Downs in May, and then beat the well-proven Fev Rover in the Nassau (G2). However, she weakened badly as the favorite in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf, finishing 11th of 12. She does have some upside, since some horses just don’t like Kentucky Downs, and she does have good tactical speed.
10. Ag Bullet: Be wary. The pace could get hot with her drawn inside of Whitebeam, as both of them have strong early speed—and, Ag Bullet is stretching out from a 6 ½-furlong sprint. She comes into this race off such a career best that she is liable to bounce, plus she does tend to regress in the third start of her form cycle in general.
11. Whitebeam: With tactical speed from the outside post, she has every reason to be effective from this gate, though she will have to hope not everyone who can send does, for fear of losing ground. She is well-proven at this level, though the distance is a question. She has won at a mile, but only once in six tries—her graded wins have all come longer, meaning this may be on the sharp side for her.

2024 First Lady Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the First Lady Stakes?

A: The First Lady happens on Saturday, October 5 at 4:44 p.m. EDT. The race is the ninth of 11 on Saturday’s card at Keeneland Race Course.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the First Lady Stakes?

A: Chad Brown has a dominant seven wins in this race, including each of the last six editions of this race. He has four chances to extend his record in 2024: Chili Flag, Fluffy Socks, Gina Romantica, and Whitebeam.

Q: Who is the favorite for the First Lady Stakes?

A: Defending champion Gina Romantica is the lukewarm 3-1 morning-line favorite. Given her tendency to show up in October at Keeneland she might go favored, though 7-2 morning-line second choice Whitebeam could challenge her for that status, and even European shipper Tarawa (9-2 morning line) could take interest in this open race.

Q: Who is the best First Lady Stakes jockey?

A: Jockey Julien Leparoux leads all riders with five wins in the First Lady, most recently in 2015 with the Hall of Famer Tepin. He does not ride the race this year, but among jockeys who are entered John Velazquez leads with two wins. He can extend his tally to three if Special Wan wins.

Q: Who won the First Lady Stakes in 2023?

A: Gina Romantica won the 2023 First Lady for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Tyler Gaffalione. She returns to the starting gate for Brown, but with Jose Ortiz in the irons. Gaffalione rides a different runner for Brown, Chili Flag. Brown also sends out Fluffy Socks with Frankie Dettori riding, and Whitebeam with Florent Geroux.

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