Five Fleet Fillies Of The Week: Feb. 23-Mar. 1

Wandering Eyes · 2026-03-04T14:45:36Z

As expected, Gulfstream's loaded Fountain of Youth card provides fast fillies–but topping this week's list is a breakout performance at Turfway Park.

5. WITH THE ANGELS, AQU, 3/1, Correction Stakes, 6 furlongs
Beyer Speed Figure- 93, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'.
(f, 4, by Omaha Beach–Sister Margaret, by Pulpit)
O-Winning Move Stable, John Oxley, Sheila Stable, Silverwood Stables and Sanford Robbins. B-Joseph DeRico (NY). T-Linda Rice. J-Jose Lezcano.

Rice says With the Angels “never makes a wrong move,” and after demoralizing her New York-bred competition last summer and fall, the $350k 2-year-old buy is now doing the same to the Big A's winter open company.

In the Correction Stakes, she was confidently kept out in the clear by Lezcano before unleashing a final quarter in :24.05 to put 4 1/2 lengths on her rivals. Next on her agenda could be the Apr. 4 running of the $150,000 GIII Distaff Stakes.

4. JUST BASKING, GP, 2/28, GIII The Very One Stakes, 1 3/8 miles (T)
Beyer Speed Figure- 93
(m, 5, by Arrogate–Spanish Star, by Blame)
O-Andrew Schwarz and Wendy Gilder-Schwarz. B-Gilder-Schwarz Farms. T-Ian Wilkes. J-Javier Castellano.

The promising Just Basking's development has been hindered by untimely interruptions, but fortunately nothing got in her way at Gulfstream on Saturday, as she rallied from last to first in GIII The Very One. She was good enough to finish a length- beaten third in the 2024 GI Alabama, only to be sent to the sidelines for seven months, followed by a disappointing comeback at Fair Grounds and another 10-month absence.

But now she's back in a racing rhythm and has regained her form: her 1 3/8 time was only .05 slower than Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) and the males in the GII Mac Diarmida three races later. From the last crop of Arrogate out of productive mare Spanish Star (three GSWs from five foals to race), Just Basking also provided her late sire with his 16th graded winner out of 32 total stakes winners.

3. CLASSIC Q, GP, 2/28, GIII Honey Fox Stakes, 1 mile (T)
Beyer Speed Figure- 94 (2nd)
(f, 4, by Classic Empire–Lovely Em, by Scat Daddy)
O-Gary Barber, Blue Crevalle Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. B-Winning Bloodstock (Ky). T-Mark Casse. J-John Velazquez.

She has no doubt been frustrating at times for her connections. But when she's in top form and gets her trip, Classic Q has proven capable of a graded-stakes-level run, even though she has come tantalizingly close without winning one yet. It now seems settled that her best chance is to control a reasonable pace, which Velazquez accomplished in the GIII Honey Fox Stakes only to see her lose another close one to a better horse.

2. LUSH LIPS (GB), GP, 2/28, GIII Honey Fox Stakes, 1 mile (T)
Beyer Speed Figure- 95
(f, 4, by Ten Sovereigns {Ire}–Lamyaa {GB}, by Arcano {Ire})
O-Dixiana Farms. B-The Pocock Family (GB). T-Brendan Walsh. J-Tyler Gaffalione.

Walsh was clicking his heels when Dixiana's Bill Shively opted to race GISW Lush Lips as a 4-year-old and keep her in her current stall after bidding $3.7 million to acquire her at Keeneland November.

In nine starts since the previous owners brought her over from Ireland and transferred her from Donnacha O'Brien to Walsh, the turf star has six wins and three seconds–and two of the losses were to champion 3-year-old filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro).

LITERATE-The-Wintergreen-40th-Running-02

Literate | Coady Media

1. LITERATE, TP, 2/28, Wintergreen Stakes, 1 mile (AW)
Beyer Speed Figure- 95
(m, 6, by Oscar Performance–Infanta Branca, by Henrythenavigator)
O-C2 Racing Stable and BAG Racing Stables. B-Don Alberto Corporation (Ky). T-Brad Cox. J-Luan Machado.

She's bred for grass and has a solid race on dirt, but she has been most productive on the all-weather. Maybe that's a function of being stabled at Woodbine and Turfway at the right times in her form cycle, but this winter she was a decent third in the My Charmer Stakes, got up to win the Likely Exchange Stakes and last week turned in the race of her life: a 10 3/4-length demolition job in the Wintergreen Stakes.

Climb into the Wayback Machine and you'll find that her dam is a half-sister to 1998 GII Fountain of Youth winner Lil's Lad (Pine Bluff) out of Loblolly Stable's GSW Totemic (Vanlandingham).