Maggie Go came back strong and finished second at Monmouth Park

In the Eatontown Stakes (G3) and with Flavien Prat in the irons, the Argentine-bred dark bay ran a strong race off a long layoff, showing she still has plenty to offer in the United States

Whiskey Decision slipped through on the rail around the turn and drew off / MONMOUTH PARK

OCEANPORT, New Jersey (Special for Turf Diario).- Maggie Go showed plenty of promise during her campaign in Argentina, and nearly a year after bidding farewell to the local scene, the daughter of Winning Prize made a strong first impression in her U.S. debut, rekindling hopes for bigger wins ahead.

Now racing under the ownership of Michael Dubb, Andrew Rosen, John D. Stuart, and Michael J. Caruso, the dark bay filly finished second on Saturday in the GIII Eatontown S. at Monmouth Park, contested over 1 1/16 miles on good turf for a purse of $147,500.

Sent off as the heavy favorite at 1-5 with Flavien Prat aboard, Maggie Go tracked early leader Damaso (Outwork), who set modest fractions of :24.39, :49.23, and 1:13.93.

As the field rounded the far turn, Maggie Go attempted to quicken, but lacked a sharp response, leaving room along the inside for Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief), who shot through and opened up with authority.

Still, the Argentine-bred didn’t give in. Shaking off some rust from the long layoff, she found renewed energy late to reclaim the runner-up spot, finishing two lengths behind the winner and a half-length ahead of the Irish-bred Ozara (Lope de Vega). The final time was 1:44.81, with a mile split in 1:38.60.

Following another turf stakes exacta for trainer Chad Brown, his assistant Luis Cabrera said: “With the turf a little soft, you never know how a horse will handle it if they haven’t run over it before. This filly is new to us—we got her a couple of months ago and she’d been training really well. So despite the time away, I thought she was ready. She looked comfortable out there and ran like it.”

A G2 winner in her native country, Maggie Go captured the Clásico Eliseo Ramírez (G2) in 2024 and placed in the G1 Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile Fillies, the G2 Saturnino J. Unzué, and the G1 Gran Premio de Potrancas.

There’s every reason to believe the best is yet to come for Maggie Go on American soil.