Lovely Maria Out for Rest of Year
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Lovely Maria
Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Lovely Maria is out of consideration for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) and will be rested the remainder of the year, trainer Larry Jones said Oct. 6 at Keeneland.
Brereton Jones' 3-year-old daughter of Majesticperfection faded to fifth in the Oct. 4 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (gr. I) at the Lexington track after showing the way early on. Although she rolled to her Kentucky Oaks victory off a score in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland this spring, she has not won since then. She was fifth in the Delaware Oaks (gr. III) and sixth in the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) before her Spinster try.
HAMMONDS: Lovely Maria Easily Captures Kentucky Oaks
"We're not gonna run her in the Breeders' Cup," Jones said. "She's won two grade ones, she's a millionaire, and she's earned a rest. So they're gonna rest her a little bit, and then see what happens from there."
Lovely Maria, bred in Kentucky by Olin B. Gentry & Thomas B. Gaines out of the unraced Thunder Gulch mare Thundercup, ends her 2015 campaign with a career total of four wins and three seconds from 11 starts, for earnings of $1,003,000.