Princess Grace ships and wins impressively in Yellow Ribbon

Princess Grace is proving a serious turf filly for trainer Michael Stidham as she collected her third-straight graded stakes win Saturday in the $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G2) at Del Mar.

The win by Princess Grace, which was sealed by a nifty turn of foot in the stretch to put away the field, was her fifth from six starts overall. All occurred at different tracks for the well-traveled 4-year-old. Most recently, she won the Penny Memorial (G3) at Parx in her seasonal bow after having not raced since the winning the off-the-turf Mrs. Revere (G2) at Churchill Downs last November.

Princess Grace was settled in mid-pack under Kent Desormeaux for the 1 1/16-miles trip as Raymundos Secret ushered the field through a pace of 23.06, 46.61 and 1:10.46 for six furlongs. With a wall of horses still in contention, Princess Grace found racing room at the top of the stretch and quickly drew off from the field. Dogtag came from the back of the pack to be second.

“Michael told me one thing before the race that I used to advantage today," Desormeaux said. "He said ‘She’s brave.’ When that hole opened turning for home, I sent her through and she went right on with it."

Princess Grace won in a final time of 1:40.84. Dogtag was followed by favorite Maxim Rate with last year's winner Bodhicitta rounding out the superfecta. The winner paid $9.20. 

Princess Grace is a homebred daughter of Karakonite out of multiple stakes-placed Masquerade, by Silent Name, for John and Susan Moore. She debuted with a win at Colonial Downs last August, won an entry-level allowance at Monmouth Park a month later and then was edged by just a half-length when second in last October's Valley View (G3) at Keeneland. 

“I will tell you this: this filly is tenacious and one of the most hard-trying fillies I’ve ever trained," Sitdham said. "I trained her mother and she was just like that – not quite as talented, but always digging in and trying to win every time out.

"This little filly has been at six different racetracks and she should be undefeated, the one loss was just unlucky," Stidham continued. "I don’t know what’s next, I haven’t looked past this race. This was going to be her test to step up to another league and she obviously passed the test really well.”