Didia Adjusts Early, Thrives Late in Pegasus F&M Turf

Didia  and jockey Jose Ortiz took the opportunity given to them in the $485,600 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park and rolled home first by a neck over Surprisingly .

The 6-year-old mare, a multiple group 1 winner in her native Argentina, shadowed the pace set by longshot Accomplished Girl  through most of the 1 1/16 miles on firm turf, then was set down for the drive with Surprisingly rallying to her inside along the rail.

Didia, the 3-1 favorite, had enough left and held on for the victory with Suprisingly, under Oisin Murphy, a clear second. Ruby Nell , Fluffy Socks , and Mission of Joy  finished behind them, in that order and in a close bunch as Didia was clocked in 1:40.90. Last year's winner, Queen Goddess , was never in the mix and finished ninth of 11.

Second-choice Star Fortress  was the disappointment. In her first United States start for trainer Cherie DeVaux, the Sea The Stars  mare shook off her competition in the stretch run of the Cardinal Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs Nov. 23, winning by 10 lengths. She never made an impression in the Pegasus and finished last.

Ortiz said his instructions from trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Correas IV went out the window when Ruby Nell failed to get off to her usual early lead.

"Nacho told me to break good and try to be five lengths from the lead," Ortiz said. "We thought Ruby Nell was going to break better than she broke today and she was going to run like she ran out west in California. I don't know what happened but she didn't break that well so I was able to take the lead—I mean just sit off the lead—in very reasonable fractions. I was very happy on the backside."

Ruby Nell, in fact, broke reasonably well with Frankie Dettori in the irons but was not able to contest the lead.

Didia left Argentina at the end of 2021 after two straight group 1 victories and didn't miss much of a beat when she started 2022. She raced only twice that season, winning both starts, then got a seven-month break.

A win at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in March 2023 led to another in the Modesty Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs and a second-place finish in the New York Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park in June. In that, she missed just by three-quarters of a length to front-running Marketsegmentation .

Correas then shipped the mare west to win the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park Oct. 7. In the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T), a slightly tardy start found her too far back and she could only make up ground to finish 10th, beaten 4 1/2 lengths.

The Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf was a "win and you're in" for the Nassau Stakes (G1) at the Glorious Goodwood meeting in England in July. Lord William Gordon Lennox, a scion of the family of the Duke of Richmond, which controls Goodwood Racecourse, was on hand to present the official invitation.