Celestine Makes the Grade in Honey Fox

Phaedrus Flights' Celestine went gate-to-wire in the $300,000 Honey Fox Stakes (gr. IIT) April 2 at Gulfstream Park, picking up the first graded victory of her career.

The 4-year-old Scat Daddy   filly came off a third-place finish in the Feb. 27 Sand Springs Stakes and a second in the Dec. 19 Tropical Park Oaks, and looked back to June 14 of 2015 for her last win—the Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont Park, part of a four-race win streak for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

"She's been running really good, but actually in her training the last month, she's really blossomed," Mott said. "Her coat has come in, she's put on weight, and she's really been thriving."

Celestine ticked off fractions of :24.44, :48.42, and 1:12.83 through six furlongs, relaxed under jockey Junior Alvarado. She was never threatened by 9-5 choice Lady Lara, also a Mott trainee, and kicked away through seven-eighths in 1:24.43 to finish the mile in 1:36.09 on good turf.

"Obviously, she handled it very well," Mott said of some give in the ground. "She got a good pace scenario, she was on the lead, and she finished up great. We've thought in the past, sometimes it would be tough to get her to run a mile, but she was drawing away and finished very well at the end."

Off at odds of 5-1 in a field of seven older fillies and mares, Celestine paid $12.60, $7, and $4.40. Mississippi Delta brought $11.20 and $6.40, and Sandiva paid $3.20. E B Ryder scratched.

Celestine was bred in Kentucky by Phoenix Rising Farms out of the Monarchos   mare Mona Mia, and was a $100,000 purchase from the Penn Sales consignment to the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale. She failed to meet her reserve for $975,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s June 2014 sale of 2-year-olds and horses of racing age, when consigned by Gayle Woods.