Kentucky-bred Simply in Front was just as her name suggests at the conclusion of the $800,000 First Lady Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.
Trained by Eddie Kenneally and ridden by Ben Curtis, Simply in Front raced at the back of the pack early in the one-mile turf affair. She rallied strongly to split rivals in midstretch and collared Choisya (GB) inside the sixteenth pole. With a furious kick, she defeated Segesta by a neck at the wire. Owned by Colebrook Farms, Simply in Front completed the distance in 1:34.76.
“It’s great,” said Kenneally of the win. “I’m glad Ben was on board today. We got a really good trip and a beautiful ride. The filly is good right now, so it all feels great. She’s had a phenomenal year already prior to today, and today is the icing on the cake. I think she can continue to improve.
“We’ll look at a couple of races that are available to her at Del Mar on Breeders’ Cup (weekend),” Kenneally added. “We’ll get together with the owner and come up with a plan.”
A Keeneland sales graduate, Simply in Front is a 4-year-old daughter of Summer Front out of the Blame mare Complicated. In winning for the sixth time from 16 lifetime starts, the bay filly racked up her third graded stakes victory. The $458,800 winner’s share of the purse increased her bankroll to $2,868,611.
Also, this season, she won the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Mile Stakes at Ellis Park and the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes at Churchill Downs. She recorded her other graded win in last year’s Music City Stakes (G2) at Kentucky Downs. Simply In Front was bred in the Bluegrass by William Harrigan and Mike Pietrangelo.