KARAKONTIE’s three-time Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty got 2025 off to the same start she’s gotten her past two seasons off to – a winning one – with a track record-breaking victory in the Modesty S. (G3).
Making her first start since winning the American Oaks (G1) in December, the Eclipse Award finalist made her first career start at Churchill Downs in this 1 1/8-mile turf race. Breaking from the second widest position, the Lael Stables runner had two beat during the first run down the front stretch before joining another runner behind the two leaders.
She raced in tandem with that filly down the backstretch before moving into a clear third place spot coming into the turn.
John Velazquez showed he had no doubt that his filly was the best in the field, even keeping her under a tight hold in the far turn. As they raced into the stretch, her head was in front and the lead was built from there.
Velazquez gave her a few taps, but not much was needed to keep a comfortable margin with the 4-year-old rolling to a 2 ¼ length win in the end.
She Feels Pretty is just too good in the G3 Modesty Stakes presented by Veritas Prime!
John Velazquez picks up his second graded stakes win of the day aboard the Cherie DeVaux trainee. pic.twitter.com/8sQScEQNSO
— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 2, 2025
It was the sixth win in nine starts for the Cherie DeVaux trainee, who has won at least one graded stakes in each of her three seasons of racing. The earner of over $1.3 million was a $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase by Lael Stable and came out running, with a debut victory in July of her 2-year-old season to get her successful career off to a winning start.
“It’s great to see her back in the winner’s circle again,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux. “I gave her some time off to allow her to grow into herself. She’s bigger and stronger. She’s tenacious, she doesn’t want to get beat and she has won from 5 1/2 furlongs to a mile and a quarter. So you know she is special. One of the TV guys said she’s the best turf filly in the United States. I’m biased, but I agree.”
Bred by Payson Stud, She Feels Pretty is one of two winners from three named foals out of three-time winner Summer Sweet. That mare is a half-sister to the stakes winning duo of Summer Breezing and Adirondack Summer and to Grade 1 placed Summer Solo. Summer Solo produced graded stakes winner Solo Album and TAPIT’s stakes winner Maedean.
This is also the family of Group 1 winner Act One among others.
Summer Sweet’s youngest foal is a filly from the first crop of OLYMPIAD.
It could be a big weekend for KARAKONTIE, whose two Saturday stakes runners include Kentucky Derby (G1) runner Flying Mohawk. That runner is joined by MCKINZIE’s Baeza and TAPIT’s Sandman in the race.
Mints for She Feels Pretty and Mickey! What a treat to get to train a filly like her and Mickey is a bonus pic.twitter.com/62a69pfSGc
— Cherie DeVaux (@reredevaux) May 2, 2025