Facing a field where nearly the entire group was making just their second career start, Kingsolver stepped up to break her maiden in style with a two-length win in the Schuylerville Stakes Friday. Fifth on debut at Churchill Downs going just a half-furlong shorter June 11, the $95,000 OBS March grad arguably outran her odds that day when beaten just 2 3/4 lengths while posting a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.
Drawn just off the rail, Friday's 3-1 shot was keen to go and briefly held the top spot through the opening furlongs before being outrun by a headstrong race favorite My Sweetheart who surged up to take over after a slow break. Content to sit as the new pacesetter went clear up front, Flavien Prat aboard Kingsolver made his move to reel the leader back in turning for home. While My Sweetheart had the first jump and looked as though she may last, Kingsolver kept grinding down the outside, just getting by at the sixteenth pole to graduate in a classy effort.
“We always liked her,” said winning trainer Rodolphe Brisset. “The first race was the best maiden for two-year-old fillies we saw all spring at Churchill. The number came back strong. She got bumped, got a little green and that's typical for a 2-year-old for us. We were hoping she could run a couple lengths better. She did get tired today. The main track maybe was a little heavier than what we have been experiencing in Kentucky. She could end up on the grass at one point, but you've got to take a shot sometimes and we felt like that was the right race to take a shot.”
Of the race finish and his filly's future, Brisset added, “”I can say in the past five years, you can notice our horses are jumping forward big time from [their] first and second race, so we were hoping for [this]. We have to wait to see what the number is going to come back–they walked home, so everybody was getting tired at the end. Like I said, she may end up on the grass, but she's an Omaha Beach and I bought her for Storyteller [Racing, owner] in March. She's a stakes-winner now, so value [wise], we are where we want to be and now we can have fun the rest of the year.”
The 19th stakes winner for young sire Omaha Beach, Kingsolver is the first foal out of an unraced Speightstown mare named Famous Writer who has since produced a yearling Improbable filly. Storyteller Racing picked up Kingsolver for $95,000 at Ocala in March after the filly worked in :10. Famous Writer went to Violence for 2025 but has yet to report a foal.
SCHUYLERVILLE S., $150,000, Saratoga, 7-4, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:13.17, ft.
1–KINGSOLVER, 118, f, 2, by Omaha Beach
1st Dam: Famous Writer, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Famous Alice, by Kitten's Joy
3rd Dam: Quiet Alice, by Quiet American
($20,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $95,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR).
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Storyteller Racing, Michael Schroeck,
Open Gate Horse Ventures, Brian Cahoe, Scott Catlett, Dave
Russel, Matthew Ransdell, Michael Motley and Joel Braun;
B-George Krikorian (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset; J-Flavien Prat.
$82,500. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $86,100.
2–My Sweetheart, 120, f, 2, Flameaway–My Darling, by Curlin.
1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Debby M. Oxley (KY); T-Mark E. Casse.
$30,000.
3–Simone, 118, f, 2, Vekoma–Dial to Win, by Dialed In.
($15,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Madison
Mattmiller; B-John D. Stuart (KY); T-George Weaver. $18,000.
Margins: 2, 3, 2HF. Odds: 3.45, 0.70, 8.20.
Also Ran: Miss Magical, Bay Yaupon, Evolution. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
KINGSOLVER breaks her maiden in the Schuylerville Stakes with Flavien Prat aboard for trainer @BrissetRodolphe. pic.twitter.com/b8wjKpU869
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) July 4, 2025
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
