Gina Romantica won the First Lady Stakes (G1T) a second year in a row Oct. 5 as she continued her winning ways on the Keeneland turf while her trainer, Chad Brown, continued his dominance of the mile race for fillies and mares in most spectacular fashion.
With the two-length win, Peter Brant's Gina Romantica secured her third grade 1 victory in four starts on the Keeneland green as the 5-year-old daughter of multiple leading sire Into Mischief won last year's First Lady by a head over stablemate In Italian and as a 3-year-old won the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T).
On Saturday Gina Romantica tracked the early leaders, moved to the lead out of the far turn and quickly opened a clear advantage, and then held off late-running stablemate Chili Flag for the victory. Gina Romantica led home the top three horses for Brown as Fluffy Socks finished third.
It's the seventh year in a row that Brown has won the First Lady as In Italian won in 2022 after Blowout scored in 2021, Uni won in 2020 and 2019, and A Raving Beauty in 2018. Dayatthespa's 2014 victory gives the trainer a total of eight wins in the race.
In Saturday's test, Jose Ortiz and Gina Romantica stalked from the inside in third as group 2-winning Southern California shipper Ag Bullet, a winner of four stakes in her past five starts, enjoyed a clear lead through a quarter-mile in :22.81 and a half-mile in :46.01 under Mike Smith. Gina Romantica improved position out of the far turn, seized the lead in midstretch, and held sway over Chili Flag, who rallied from last in the field of 11 under Tyler Gaffalione.
Ag Bullet, sent off the 5-2 favorite, faded to fourth.
Fluffy Socks rallied from ninth early under Frankie Dettori to claim the final placing. Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners is the owner and breeder of Fluffy Socks while he partners on Chili Flag through his Madaket Stables with Michael Dubb and Michael Kisber.
Ortiz noted that Gina Romantica put herself in a good position early after starting from post 4.
"It was beautiful. She loves it here. The break was key today. She broke very alert and put me into a great position going into the first turn," Ortiz said. "I was very happy throughout the backside, and when we hit the quarter pole, there was an opening between two horses and she exploded."
For the second year in a row the winning connections face a decision regarding a potential start in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. While not a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event, last year they opted to take on males in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) and Gina Romantica performed well, rallying late to finish fourth, just a length behind winner Master of The Seas.
Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, Carrie and Craig Brogden, Gina Romatica is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Special Me. She was purchased by BSW/Crow for $1,025,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Machmer Hall.
Victory had eluded Gina Romantica this season until Saturday. She is now the fourth grade 1 or group 1 winner for Into Mischief this season, following Leslie's Rose, Laurel River, and Newgate . Into Mischief stood the 2024 season for $250,000 at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington.
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