KARAKONTIE’s Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty made her 2024 debut a winning one on Friday with a victory in Friday’s Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico.
She Feels Pretty broke well in the one-mile turf race before settling a few paths off the rail in midpack. Restrained by John Velazquez, she stayed in the same position all the way around the track until the field re-entered the stretch.
Slicing between two horses as they straightened, She Feels Pretty pricked her ears as she started to pull away. The only work Velazquez had to do in the final furlong was to keep his mount focused as she romped to a 5 ¾ length victory as the race favorite. By the time she hit the wire, there were 9 ¼ lengths between her and the third placed runner and the fourth-place finisher nearly 16 lengths back.
“She had been training well and you hope they can come out fresh from (age) 2 to 3,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux. “There are a lot of unknowns coming out here (off layoff since Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf). I was really impressed with her. It was obviously an easier race than the Breeders’ Cup. You hope they come forward and now hope for an exciting year ahead.”
Bred by Payson Stud, the Lael Stables runner has been trained to three wins in four starts with her only loss being a third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) last November.
Lael Stable purchased her for $240,000 as a yearling from the Stone Farm consignment out of the three-time winning More Than Ready mare Summer Sweet. Summer Sweet is a half-sister to the stakes winning duo of Summer Breezing and Adirondack Summer and to the Grade 1-placed dam of Grade 3 winner Solo Album and stakes winner Maedean.
The family also includes Grade 1 winner Act One and Grade 1-placed Summer Symphony among others.
Summer Sweet foaled an OLYMPIAD filly on April 25.
KARAKONTIE is the sire of 14 stakes winners and 25 stakes performers, putting him at 13.67% stakes performers overall.