Peter Brant’s Kentucky-bred Gina Romantica ran down race favorite and stablemate In Italian (GB) to emerge victorious in the 26th running of the First Lady S. (G1) at Keeneland on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Chad Brown, Gina Romantica completed the mile over a firm turf course in 1:33.70. The stylish win marked the sixth consecutive year that Brown saddled the winner of the First Lady.
In Italian dictated the pace throughout in the field of eight. Gina Romantica, who raced in sixth position early under a firm hold, rallied strongly in the lane and swept past the game pacesetter at the sixteenth pole to prevail by a head at the finish to secure her second Grade 1 victory at Keeneland. She won last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) as well.
“First off, all the credit goes to (trainer) Chad (Brown) and his team,” said Gaffalione. “She fired big for us today. She broke good. She traveled so great throughout. I didn’t have to take too much of a hold. She was very comfortable where she was. Coming into the stretch, once I found room toward the outside, she really exploded—finished her job really well.”
A Keeneland sales graduate, Gina Romantica is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Special Me. The $447,563 winner’s share of the purse increased her bankroll to $1,108,603. The win improved her overall record to 10-5-2-0.