Kentucky-bred Bodacious Bay made her first Grade 1 appearance a winning one, defeating Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Always a Runner in the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) at PARX.
Ridden by Micah Husbands for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Bodacious Bay stalked the early pace from second in the Cotillion. She loomed boldly nearing the three-eighths pole and took over in the stretch. She drew off late to score by 3 ¼ lengths.
“I was loaded the whole way,” Husbands said to BloodHorse. “I was just sitting there on a lot of horse. By the half-mile pole, she wanted to go a little earlier than I thought. And I didn’t want to get in her way, so I just her cruise up and tried to bide my time. She finished it off like a monster.”
Owned by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Miller Racing LLC, St. Elias Stable LLC, BAG Racing Stables LLC, Carr Legacy Racing LLC and Steve Taub, Bodacious Bay is now 5-2-3-0 with earnings of $708,496. Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Bodacious Bay is by Not This Time out of the graded stakes-placed Mineshaft mare Bodacious Babe. She is now the second graded stakes winner for her dam. Bodacious Babe has also produced multiple graded winner Royal Spa
Prior to the Cotillion, Bodacious Babe finished second to stablemate My Miss Mo in the Monmouth Oaks (G3) in July. Previously, she broke her maiden at Churchill Downs in June. She is a Keeneland September Sale graduate.
Josephs is excited about the future of his charge, saying in BloodHorse, “So we feel like she could develop into probably the best filly next year.”