Antipathy managed to stay relatively clean despite the muddy conditions in her Shuvee win (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Godolphin Racing's Antipathy was a neck third when making her stakes bow in the Ogden Phipps last out at Belmont Park, but on Sunday the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee held on to take the Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee Handicap at Saratoga by two lengths in just her second stakes try. The A.P. Indy four-year-old had jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard as she finished 1 1/8 miles over the Spa's muddy, sealed main track in 1:52 4/5.

"It was a great performance. Team McLaughlin needed a win; we haven't run that many live ones. We were real happy to get a win," McLaughlin said. "She's a well-bred filly for Godolphin, and now she has a Grade 3 win to go along with a Grade 1-placing. I thought she ran very well.

"We weren't worried about (the nine furlongs) because she's by A.P. Indy," he added. "She's just gotten good, she's improved a lot, and if you look back at the allowance races she lost, two nice fillies beat us. She's improving and we're very happy to get a Grade 3 win."

Antipathy burst from the gates and onto the lead, but Swinger's Party was determined to set the pace. Charging up Antipathy's inside, that dark bay filly took over through an opening quarter in :23 3/5 and a half-mile in :47 3/5 as Ortiz settled his mount just off the rail in second. Unlimited Budget was keeping in close contact running off of Antipathy's flank while the rest of the field was strung out behind.

No one could catch Antipathy as she earned her first stakes victory in style (NYRA/Adam Mooshian/Adam Coglianese Photography)

"My filly was ready today. Everybody did a great job, the whole team at the barn. I was comfortable. I had a perfect trip. The trainer told me I had the horse. I let her run a little bit and I held my position the whole time. In the last part I didn't want to be too close to the rail. You can see when I get to the last turn I didn't want to be too close to the rail so I let her drift a little bit to get to the better ground."

"Perfect trip," stated jockey Joel Rosario, rider of Stanwyck. "I made a little move on the turn and I thought maybe we were going to get some more. We were probably second best today."

Antipathy paid $6.40 as the 2-1 second choice and improved her career mark to 9-3-3-2, $316,784. The bay lass debuted at Saratoga last September, running fifth on that occasion, then took two more tries at Gulfstream Park to break her maiden. She followed up with a third in an optional claimer at that Florida track in March and wouldn't reappear until taking a similar contest on January 31.

A pair of seconds, over Aqueduct's inner and Belmont Park's main, came during the spring, and Antipathy finally tried stakes rivals for the first time when entered in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps last out. She reputed herself very well, running third that day behind multiple Grade 1 stars Close Hatches and Princess of Sylmar, and was set up for this first career stakes score in the Shuvee.