Lemista came out on top after a stretch-long battle with stablemate Fluffy Socks to claim a half-length victory in the G3 WinStar Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday, 23 July.
It was the second Graded Stakes win for the ultra-consistent Raven’s Pass mare, who captured the G2 Kilboy Estate Stakes at the Curragh at three. The now five-year-old improved her record to 5-1-2 in 13 career starts.
Lemista was settled into third as Flighty Lady, another Chad Brown-trained stablemate, led the field through the opening stages. Lemista continued to stalk the leaders down the backstretch before making a two-wide bid for the lead heading into the far turn. Lemista held a slight lead at the top of the lane, then dug in gamely to hold off Fluffy Socks for the victory.
Bred in Ireland by Drumlin Bloodstock, Lemista is out of Shortmile Lady, a half-sister to Stakes-winning sprinter, Indian Maiden.
Raven’s Pass is the sire of 38 individual Stakes winners, with four top-flight winners including last season’s G1 Flying Five heroine Romantic Proposal and the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victor Royal Marine. His G1-winning son Tower Of London, himself a Champion sprinter, completed his second season on the roster at Darley Japan.
Raven’s Pass has also begun to make a name for himself as a broodmare sire with his daughters producing G1 winners Mishriff and Saffron Beach.
