Everything Lovely Holds on to Take $100,000 The Very One

BALTIMORE, MD – Pewter Stable and Armand Delaperriere’s Everything Lovely shook off early pressure from Eila and held off a trio of late challengers to earn a front-running one-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 The Very One at Pimlico Race Course.

The 18th running of the 5-furlong The Very One for fillies and mares 3 and older on turf was the first career stakes win for Everything Lovely, a 5-year-old Maryland-bred daughter of Pollard’s Vision, and the third for trainer Kate DeMasi following Merry Princess (2002) and Go Go Baby Go (2004).

“This is big for us, just for her future as a broodmare and knocking on the door against a lot of nice fillies,” said DeMasi. “I just told Javier to break good. I thought she had the most natural speed in here. It’s real special. This is really big for me. I’ve always loved coming here.”

Ridden by Hall of Famer-elect Javier Castellano for his third stakes victory of the Preakness weekend, Everything Lovely was racing for the first time since a runner-up finish in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint on January 28 at Gulfstream Park. She sizzled through fractions of :22.46 and :45.79, finishing up in :57.93 over a turf course rated good.

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“I loved the way she did it,” said Castellano. “She is a pretty sharp filly. I got a great spot, I knew there was a lot of speed outside me, and I took advantage of being on the inside and took the lead. It was a good pace for her. She just galloped along. She can go in :21 (seconds for the first 1/4 of a mile) and she rated beautifully, and I think that was the key to the race.”

Sunnysami was a head in front of Elusive Joni in a blanket finish behind Everything Lovely, with another nose back to Pretty Perfection in fourth. Elia fell back to fifth, followed by Most Beautiful, Royal Renege, Euroboss, and Animal Appeal.

Everything Lovely set the pace for a 1/2-mile in last year’s The Very One before fading to 11th, beaten 6 3/4 lengths, by multiple stakes winner Lady Shipman.

Everything Lovely returned $7.80, $4.40, and $3.90. Sunnysami brought back $9 and $5.40, while Elusive Joni paid $5 to show.

Pimlico Race Course