Gin Gin, winner of a Spinster in which Thorpedo Anna was largely absent

Representing Calumet Farm, she controlled the race from start to finish, securing her spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff; the champion, however, disappointed, finishing fourth

Always along the rail, Gin Gin was pure class / KEENELAND

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Sometimes races are won long before the wire. From the moment Gin Gin sprang from the gate, she made it clear she wasn’t sharing the spotlight with anyone. In the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1), the legendary Calumet Farm filly set the pace from the start and, despite constant pressure, calmly repelled late bids from Nitrogen (Medaglia D’Oro), edging her by a neck in a thrilling stretch battle. The victory marked her most important to date and punched her ticket directly to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) on November 1 at Del Mar.

Ridden by Luis Sáez and trained by Brendan Walsh, the Hightail–Before You Know (Hard Spun) filly seized the lead immediately, posting sharp fractions of 23.74 and 46.69 seconds. Alongside her early was champion Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), but the favorite began to fade in the final turn as Nitrogen advanced through the center looking to snatch victory. True to her fighting style, Gin Gin found extra gear in the decisive meters and held off her challengers, covering 1,800 meters in 1:49.77 on fast dirt.

“I knew the pace was hot, but she thrives under pressure,” Sáez said. “Brendan told me, ‘let her run, don’t check her.’ In the stretch I felt her strong, and she never stopped battling. She’s a very brave filly who loves to fight.”

Walsh added, “She had won the Doubledogdare (G3) here in the spring, but her form dipped afterward. At Saratoga she returned to her best, and now she’s back in peak condition. When she’s at her best, she’s a really great filly.”

Bred in Kentucky by her owners, Gin Gin now has 13 starts, with 4 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds, earning $942,796. This marked her second victory at Keeneland, a track that clearly suits her well.

The disappointment of the afternoon came from Thorpedo Anna, the champion and Horse of the Year, who never posed a serious threat. “I thought she was comfortable, but halfway down the stretch she was done,” admitted jockey Flavien Prat. “I don’t yet have the exact read on her, but it just wasn’t her day.”

Trainer Kenny McPeek summed it up gracefully: “She’s given us immense joy over the past two years. Today she wasn’t at her best, but that’s racing: horses are like waves, sometimes they lift you, sometimes they break early. You have to lose with grace.”

Behind Gin Gin and Nitrogen, Scylla (Tapit) finished 1 1/4 lengths back in third, followed by Thorpedo Anna, more than seven lengths behind, and Chilled (Frosted) closing out the order.

Final Score and Schwarzenegger

Sunday at Keeneland also produced two other notable results: Final Score (Not This Time), representing Repole Stable, captured the Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2) for two-year-old colts, while the Irish-bred Schwarzenegger (Not This Time), owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Mountmellick Farm, Brook Smith, and Resolution Road Stables, took the Indian Summer Stakes (L), both over turf and earning automatic berths to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).