2023 Ladies Marathon Stakes Preview | Vergara, Personal Best Return To Kentucky Downs

A competitive group of six fillies and mares will contest the 12th running of the Grade 3, $1 million Aristocrat Ladies Marathon, which will be the third race on Saturday’s 12-race card at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs.

Gary Broad’s Vergara and Joseph Allen’s Personal Best have both won at the 1 5/16-mile distance and those victories came at Kentucky Downs.

The 4-year-old Vergara, trained by Graham Motion, won the Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs last year, going gate-to-wire, which is her preferred style of running. Vergara will be ridden by Joel Rosario, who rode her to the win here last year.

Personal Best, a 4-year-old daughter of Tapit, is from the barn of Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey. She broke her maiden at this trip last year at Kentucky Downs. She had kept graded-stakes company all year, winning the Grade 3 La Prevoyante Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

She has also hit the board in two other Grade 3s. She was second in the Orchid Stakes at Gulfstream and then third in the Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland. Jockey Irad Ortiz is the pilot.

Trainer Saffie Joseph’s 5-year-old mare Transient, owned by Bob Edwards’ e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, was second in the La Prevoyante Stakes, beaten a neck. The daughter of Sea the Stars enters this off a win the Powder Break Stakes in his last start, on July 15, at Gulfstream and will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalone.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has 4-year-old Sinfiltre, who spent the summer at Churchill Downs. The daughter of Uncle Mo has won three of six starts this year and will be making her graded stakes debut for Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

The 5-year-old mare Lady Rockstar will be seeking her first win of 2023 for trainer Brendon Walsh and owner Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics. By Frankel, Lady Rockstar has run in four Grade 3 races this year with her best finish being a third in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream on Jan. 28.

The 4-year-old filly Glenall, trained by Caio Caramori and owned by George A. Sharp, has won two of five starts this year. The 4-year-old daughter of Coulsty, will be making her graded stakes debut and will be ridden by Reylu Gutierrez.

Here’s the full field:

1 Sinfiltre (124) Todd Pletcher/John Velazquez

2 Personal Best (126) Shug McGaughey/Irad Ortiz

3 Transient Saffie (122) Joseph/Tyler Gaffalione

4 Lady Rockstar (122) Brendan Walsh/Declan Cannon

5 Vergara (122) Graham Motion/Joel Rosario

6 Glenall (126) Caio Caramori/Reylu Gutierrez