She Feels Pretty just holds off ‘Rain’ in BC WAYI E.P. Taylor

Odds-on favorite She Feels Pretty just withstood a late charge from Godolphin shipper Diamond Rain in Saturday’s $545,981 E.P. Taylor (G1) at Woodbine, stamping her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). 

She Feels Pretty was exiting a narrow loss as the 7-10 favorite in the Diana (G1) at Saratoga, where she was outdueled by Excellent Truth. That reverse ended She Feels Pretty’s four-race winning streak since adding blinkers last fall. When Excellent Truth was forced to miss an anticipated rematch in the E.P. Taylor, She Feels Pretty was widely expected to rebound as the 0.45-1 favorite here.

Her most dangerous rival figured to be British invader Diamond Rain, representing the high-percentage yard of Charlie Appleby. The 2.40-1 second choice did herself no favors by breaking slowly and costing herself early position in a slowly-run affair.

But She Feels Pretty added some drama to the proceedings as well. With regular rider John Velazquez aboard, the Cherie DeVaux trainee was ideally placed in third as longshot Hurricane Clair dawdled through splits of :25.08, :49.56, and 1:14.11 on the firm course. 

While favorite backers had to be pleased with her position, She Feels Pretty appeared to be getting moody as she uncharacteristically swished her tail down the backstretch. The daughter of Karakontie continued to travel with her usual verve, though, and the race shape put a premium on her devastating acceleration.

She Feels Pretty was still on cruise control turning for home, ambling up, and quickly passing both Hurricane Clair and the tracking Caitlinhergrtness. Just when the favorite opened up and appeared well on her way to a comfortable victory, she lost focus, wandered around, and switched leads.

By that point, Diamond Rain was gathering momentum and relishing the long stretch that gave her more of an opportunity to reduce the gap. She closed relentlessly, but the wire came in time for the favorite.

She Feels Pretty held on by a head in a final time of 2:00.80 for 1 1/4 miles. 

The close verdict and her earlier tail-swishing may prompt questions about She Feels Pretty’s prospects going 1 3/8 miles in the Breeders’ Cup. On the other hand, the shorter stretch at Del Mar suggests that it won’t be a rigorous stamina test. 

Moreover, in the postrace interview, Velazquez revealed that there was a valid reason for her temper on the Woodbine backstretch: a rival apparently struck into her hind legs, as evidenced by her torn wraps. That contact lit up She Feels Pretty.

Diamond Rain, a Group 3 winner at home, advertised her ability in her Grade 1 debut. Had she gotten away on terms with the field, perhaps the result might have been different. Yet Diamond Rain’s performance also underscored the claims of her more accomplished stablemate, Cinderella’s Dream, the unlucky runner-up in last fall’s Filly & Mare Turf, who is herself bound for Del Mar.

The top two were well clear of the rest of the E.P. Taylor field. Ready for Shirl crossed the wire 10 1/2 lengths back in third, followed by Venencia, Caitlinhergrtness, Literate, and Hurricane Clair.

Lael Stables’ She Feels Pretty now sports a mark of 12-8-2-2 with earnings of $2,210,592. A smashing winner of her stakes debut in the 2023 Natalma (G1) at Woodbine, the chestnut is now 2-for-2 over the course. Her other major wins include last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland and American Oaks (G1) at Santa Anita, along with this season’s Modesty (G3) at Churchill Downs and New York (G1) at Saratoga. 

She Feels Pretty’s losses have all come in tight finishes, from her wide-trip third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) to her near-misses in the Belmont Oaks (G1) and Lake Placid (G2) that occasioned the addition of blinkers. The equipment change lifted her to another level, until she lost the Diana battle. She got the job done in the E.P. Taylor, although it was close in the end.

Bred by Payson Stud in Kentucky and sold for $240,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, She Feels Pretty is out of the More Than Ready mare Summer Sweet. She hails from the family of multiple French Group 1 star Act One.