Lovely Maria

Last updated
Lovely Maria
SireMajesticperfection
Grandsire Harlan's Holiday
DamThundercup
Damsire Thunder Gulch
Sex Filly
Foaled23 April 2012 [1]
CountryUnited States
Colour Bay
BreederOlin B Gentry & Thomas B Gaines
Owner Brereton Jones
Trainer J. Larry Jones
Record8: 4-3-0
Earnings$960,600
Major wins
Ashland Stakes (2015)
Kentucky Oaks (2015)

Lovely Maria (foaled 23 April 2012) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning two of her first six races she recorded her first major win in the Ashland Stakes in April 2015 before winning the Kentucky Oaks on May 1.

Contents

Background

Lovely Maria is a bay filly with a white blaze bred in Kentucky by Olin B Gentry & Thomas B Gaines. She is from the first crop of foals sired by Majesticperfection, a lightly raced sprinter who recorded his biggest win in the Alfred G Vanderbilt Handicap. [2] Her dam, Thundercup, is an unraced daughter of the Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch and a half-sister of the multiple Graded stakes race winner Rare Blend.

Lovely Maria was sent into training with J. Larry Jones, who had previously had great success with fillies and mares including Eight Belles, Proud Spell and Havre de Grace. She has been ridden in all of her races by the veteran jockey Kerwin "Boo Boo" Clark.

Racing career

2014: two-year-old season

Lovely Maria began her racing career in a five furlong maiden race at Delaware Park Racetrack on September 4. She raced in third place until the straight and then finished strongly to win by three-quarters of a length from Souba Sue. She then finished second to Sarah Sis in an allowance race over 6+12 furlongs at Keeneland Racecourse on October 11 and then ran second again in a similar event at Fair Grounds Race Course in November. On her final start of the year the filly was moved up in class and distance for the Trapeze Stakes over one mile at Remington Park in December. She was favored in the betting but finished fourth of the eleven runners behind Zooming.

2015: three-year-old season

On her three-year-old debut Lovely Maria won a minor race at Fair Grounds on January 26, beating Shook Up by 2+12 lengths. She then finished second to her stablemate I'm A Chatterbox in the Grade II Rachel Alexandra Stakes at the same track four weeks later. On April 4 the filly was stepped up in class for the Grade I Ashland Stakes at Keeneland Racecourse and started favorite against six opponents headed by Angela Renee, a filly who had won the Chandelier Stakes and started favorite for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. After racing in third place she took the lead in the straight and drew away to win by 3+14 lengths from Angela Renee. [3] The win, which earned the filly place in the field for the Kentucky Oaks, was the first at the highest level for the 56-year-old Kerwin Clark. [4]

On May 1, in front of a record crowd of 123,763, Lovely Maria started 6.3/1 fifth choice in the betting for the Kentucky Oaks. The favorite was Stellar Wind (winner of the Santa Anita Oaks) ahead of Condo Commando (Gazelle Stakes), Birdatthewire (Gulfstream Oaks) and I'm A Chatterbox, whilst the outsiders included Angela Renee, Sarah Sis and Shook Up. Clark settled the filly in fourth before moving up to challenge Angela Renee for the lead entering the straight. She took the lead a furlong out and quickly went clear of her rivals, winning by 2+12 lengths from Shook Up with I'm A Chatterbox taking third. [5]

Lovely Maria failed to win in three subsequent races. She finished fifth in the Delaware Oaks, sixth in the Alabama Stakes and fifth in the Spinster Stakes. she has been sold to Japanese interests for an undisclosed amount.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Lovely Maria, bay filly, 2012 [1]
Sire
Majesticperfection (US)
2006
Harlan's Holiday (US)
1999
Harlan Storm Cat
Country Romance
Christmas in Aiken Affirmed
Dowager
Act So Noble (US)
1999
Wavering Monarch Majestic Light
Uncommitted
Driven to DrinkInverness Drive
Miami Springs
Dam
Thundercup (US)
2005
Thunder Gulch (US)
1992
Gulch Mr. Prospector
Jameela
Line Of Thunder Storm Bird
Shoot A Line
Buttercup (US)
1982
Baldski Nijinsky
Too Bald
Butter FatPrince Taj
Royal Butterfly (Family: 5-g)

Related Research Articles

Ashado is an American Thoroughbred racemare whose seven Grade I wins included the 2004 Breeders' Cup Distaff. She won Eclipse Awards as the Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2004 and Champion Older Female of 2005, and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2014. At the end of the 2005 racing season, her owners sold her at the Keeneland Sales November auction for $9 million, a world-record price for a broodmare/broodmare prospect.

Silverbulletday is an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, she was sired by Silver Deputy and out of the GII winning mare Rokeby Rose. Her damsire was Tom Rolfe, the 1965 Preakness Stakes winner and that year's U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt. Her grandsire was Deputy Minister, the 1981 Canadian Horse of the Year.

Wistful was an American Champion Thoroughbred racemare. The daughter of Sun Again and granddaughter of Sun Teddy is best remembered for wins in the Kentucky Oaks, the Coaching Club American Oaks, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess of Sylmar</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Princess of Sylmar is an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2013 she appeared to have established herself as the leading American filly of her generation with Grade I wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama Stakes.

Groupie Doll is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, she is best known for winning the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in 2012 and 2013. Unraced as a two-year-old she showed good form as a three-year-old in 2011, winning three races including the Gardenia Stakes. In 2012, she emerged as a world-class sprinter, winning the Madison Stakes, Humana Distaff Handicap, Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes, and Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes before taking the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. In 2013 she repeated in the Masters Stakes and won a second Breeders' Cup. She was then sold as a prospective broodmare for $3.1 million. Her new owner chose to keep her in training into early 2014, running her against males in the Cigar Mile, and then in the Hurricane Bertie Stakes, where she won the final race of her career, to be retired and become a broodmare.

Stopchargingmaria is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. The daughter of Tale of the Cat won the mile and an eighth Grade II $500,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 16, 2014. and the Grade I 2014 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. In 2015 she won the Allaire duPont Distaff Stakes and the Shuvee Handicap before recording her biggest success in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. She is owned by Town and Country Farms and trained by Todd Pletcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Untapable</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Untapable is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013 when she won two of her four races including the Pocahontas Stakes and was placed in the Starlet Stakes. In 2014 she emerged as a top-class racehorse, winning the Rachel Alexandra Stakes, Fair Grounds Oaks, Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose Stakes, Cotillion Handicap and Breeders' Cup Distaff and was named American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.

Take Charge Lady is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was one of the leading fillies of her generation in the United States, winning 11 of her 22 races between April 2001 and November 2003, earning over $2 million. She recorded Grade I victories in the Ashland Stakes and consecutive editions of the Spinster Stakes, and also won the Alcibiades Stakes, Silverbulletday Stakes, Fair Grounds Oaks, Dogwood Stakes and Arlington Matron Stakes.

Take Charge Brandi is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. A descendant of the outstanding broodmare Take Charge Lady, she was one of the leading juvenile fillies in North America in 2014. After winning only one of her first five races she sprang a 66/1 upset when winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and followed up with victories in the Delta Princess Stakes and the Grade I Starlet Stakes. After winning a listed stakes race early in 2015, a bone chip in her knee, discovered prior to her anticipated start in the Rebel Stakes, took her out of contention for the Kentucky Oaks. Returning to the track in August 2015, following two lackluster performances, she was retired in September, 2015.

Proud Spell is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. As a two-year-old in 2007 she was rated one of the best juvenile fillies in the United States, winning her first three races including the Matron Stakes before finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She was even more successful in her second season, winning four races including the Fair Grounds Oaks, Kentucky Oaks, Delaware Oaks and Alabama Stakes. She was retired from racing after a single unsuccessful appearance as a four-year-old.

Bird Town is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After showing some promise when winning one of her four starts as a two-year-old in 2002, she emerged as one of the best North American fillies of her generation in the following summer with wins in the Kentucky Oaks and the Acorn Stakes. She also finished second in the Test Stakes and the Beldame Stakes before being retired at the end of the season with a record of four wins in twelve races.

Surfside is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was one of the best juvenile fillies in North America in 1999, winning four of her six races including the Frizette Stakes and the Hollywood Starlet Stakes as well a finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. In the spring of the following year she won the Santa Ysabel Stakes, Las Virgenes Stakes and the Santa Anita Oaks and returned from injury to win the Clark Handicap. She was retired after two unsuccessful races as a four-year-old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legatissimo</span> British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Legatissimo is a British-bred Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After showing some promise as a juvenile, she showed marked improvement in the spring of 2015 and recorded her first major success in the 1000 Guineas. On her next appearance she was narrowly beaten when favourite for The Oaks. After another narrow defeat in the Pretty Polly Stakes she returned to top form to win the Nassau Stakes and the Matron Stakes

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stellar Wind (horse)</span> American Thoroughbred racehorse

Stellar Wind is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, known for her Eclipse Award winning three-year-old season, and later for her rivalry with the champion mare Beholder. Bred in Virginia, she raced in Maryland as a juvenile, winning one minor race from two starts. As a three-year-old, racing mainly in California, she improved to become arguably the best filly of her generation. In the spring of 2015, she won the Santa Ysabel Stakes and the Santa Anita Oaks before finishing a troubled fourth in the Kentucky Oaks. On her return to California, she recorded further victories in the Summertime Oaks and the Torrey Pines Stakes, and then ended her season by finishing a strong second in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. She was voted American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2015.

Cathryn Sophia is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2016 Kentucky Oaks. After wide-margin wins on both her starts as a juvenile, the filly won the Forward Gal Stakes on her first appearance of 2016 and followed up in the Davona Dale Stakes. She sustained her first defeat when odds-on favorite for the Ashland Stakes but rebounded to win the Oaks on May 6.

The 2015 Road to the Kentucky Oaks was a points system by which three-year-old fillies qualified for the 2015 Kentucky Oaks. The point system replaced a previous qualifying system which was based on graded stakes earnings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monomoy Girl</span> American Thoroughbred racehorse

Monomoy Girl is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2018 and Champion Older Female Horse of 2020. She showed very promising form as a juvenile in 2017 when she won her first three races before being narrowly beaten in the Golden Rod Stakes. In the following spring, she took the Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the Ashland Stakes before winning the Kentucky Oaks, the filly equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. She followed this up with wins in the Acorn Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks, but was disqualified to second for interference in the Cotillion Stakes. She then rebounded to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff while facing older horses for the first time.

Bast is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse, best known for winning the 2019 Del Mar Debutante Stakes, Chandelier Stakes, and Starlet Stakes.

Nest is a Champion American thoroughbred filly racehorse who has won multiple Grade I events as a three-year-old in 2022, including the Ashland Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama Stakes. She also finished second in the 2022 Belmont Stakes, racing against male counterparts in that Triple Crown event.

Society is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who has won multiple graded stakes events as a three-year-old in 2022 including the Grade I Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lovely Maria pedigree". Equineline. 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  2. "Majesticperfection – Statistics". Equibase.
  3. "Ashland Stakes result". Racing Post. 4 April 2015.
  4. Jeremy Balan (4 April 2015). "Lovely Maria Claims First Stakes in Ashland". BloodHorse.com.
  5. Tom LaMarra (1 May 2015). "Lovely Maria Easily Captures Kentucky Oaks". BloodHorse.com.