Toast of the Town: A Fine Chardonnay Roars Home to Claim Myrtlewood

[Wandering Eyes]

She may've been in another zip code early, but A Fine Chardonnay (Maclean's Music) was moving fastest late to inhale her rivals en route to victory in the Dean Dorton Myrtlewood Stakes at Keeneland.

Debuted beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 11, she came off the pace and closed smartly to win by two lengths as a massive 45-1 longshot. She went off here at a much lower 2-1 on the back of some strong works at Churchill since that unveiling.

A Fine Chardonnay jumped evenly with the field, but soon found herself trailing well off the early pace as 'TDN Rising Star', presented by Hagyard On Time Girl (Not This Time) eventually took a contested lead–passing the half in :46.03 with challengers coming as they swung for home. Having been the caboose for most of the race, the Ian Wilkes-trainee was rolling from far off the pace, but was coming wide with a full head of steam to her advantage. Overhauling the leaders passing the sixteenth pole, she edged away from an ultra game On Time Girl to win by a length. Woodstock (Yaupon) held on for third.

“It's almost impossible to even think about being at this point in our lives, and to win our first two races with our first horse,” said Philip Griesinger of Double 22 Stables, who were celebrating their first win on their own as owners. “It's just incredible. I just wish my son, who's my partner, and my family were here with me. I just can't put it into words. It's just amazing.”

“I probably can't say on air (what I was thinking when she dropped so far back in the race), but I looked at (trainer) Ian (Wilkes) and he said, 'She's fine, she's fine,' and then Charlie, the farm manager, said, 'You've got this.' And that's when I started to go ballistic. I'm going to (celebrate with) a couple bottles (of a fine chardonnay). I'm not going to feel good tomorrow.”

When asked if he believed his filly would end up being on her current trajectory, Wilkes said, “Would I have thought she was this kind? No. I'm going to have to say no. She did work good going into the first race, but she didn't train the way she trained coming into this race. I was quite comfortable (with how far back she was) because they were all going, and she was traveling–she looked good to travel. I watched her work, and her turn of foot to finish is really good.”

The victress is the last registered offspring for Andele before the dam was exported to Turkey. She is the sixth winner to make the races for that mare, who herself is a half-sister to GSW Northern Causeway (Giant's Causeway) and to the dam of GISW Du Jour (Temple City). Second dam Getaway Girl (Silver Deputy) is a half-sister to a pair of the best racehorses and stallions in the industry, namely Horse of the Year Ghostzapper (Awesome Again) and GISW City Zip (Carson City). That trio hail from 2005 Broodmare of the Year Baby Zip (Relaunch), whose half-brother was a champion imported handicap horse in Turkey. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

 

#6 A FINE CHARDONNAY ($6.26) and @Tyler_Gaff go last-to-first in the $250,000 Myrtlewood Stakes at @KeenelandRacing. The juvenile Maclean's Music filly is trained by @IanWilkesRacing. pic.twitter.com/5RMBpLk93C

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 24, 2025

 

DEAN DORTON MYRTLEWOOD S., $250,000, Keeneland, 10-24, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.80, ft.
1–A FINE CHARDONNAY, 118, f, 2, by Maclean's Music
                1st Dam: Andele, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Getaway Girl, by Silver Deputy
                3rd Dam: Baby Zip, by Relaunch
($20,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $85,000 2yo '25 EASMAY). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Double 22 Stables, LLC; B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $153,063. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $222,363.
2–On Time Girl, 118, f, 2, Not This Time–Girl Daddy, by Uncle Mo. 'TDN Rising Star', presented by Hagyard. ($375,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Albaugh Family Stables LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $49,375.
3–Woodstock, 120, f, 2, Yaupon–Hot Hippie, by Medaglia d'Oro. ($35,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $100,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR). O-Paradise Farms Corp., David Staudacher, Gata Racing Stable LLC and Turman Racing Stable LLC; B-Southern Comfort Farm LLC (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $24,688.
Margins: 1, NK, 1HF. Odds: 2.13, 2.12, 8.55.
Also Ran: Kingsolver, Counting Stars, Storm Cloud Rising.

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