After Jody's Pride captured her first two starts and was second, beaten a neck, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Park in November 2023, it appeared only a matter of time before she would break through with a victory at the graded stakes level.
That time at long last came May 10 in the $200,000 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack. Under Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario, she drafted behind the leaders from just off the pace before diving inside of favored My Mane Squeeze in the stretch. She accelerated, moving past My Mane Squeeze and outkicking Sterling Silver to win by a three-quarters of a length.
The Ruffian was the third stakes victory on the afternoon for Rosario, who earlier captured the Take The A Train Stakes aboard Love Cervere and the Man o' War Stakes (G2T) on Far Bridge. He notched his second win in the Ruffian after initial success with Vault in 2021.
Speaking of Jody's Pride, he said, "I was enjoying (things) when it opened up turning for home, but she looked like she wanted to be up there. She likes to fight, and that showed at the end."
The winner ran a mile on a fast track in 1:35.04 following splits of :23.62 and :46.40 set by Headline Numbers, and a six-furlong fraction in 1:10.43 posted by My Mane Squeeze. Jody's Pride, who entered the Ruffian after a disappointing fifth-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Azeri Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park behind reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, paid $17.60 to win.
Jody's Pride returned to form Saturday by racing around one turn and returning to the Aqueduct main track, on which she is now perfect in three races. Her earlier wins at Aqueduct had come in the 2023 off-the-turf Matron Stakes and the 2024 Busher Stakes.
She finished stronger in the Ruffian than she had in earlier races this year, both in the Azeri and in the seven-furlong Inside Information Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park when she ran a close third in her first start of the year.
"She went into the Inside Information a couple of breezes short, and she ran a great race," trainer Jorge Abreu said. "We took her to the Azeri; she didn't break (well), and she was four wide, and she just doesn't want to come from back there.
"I said to Joel Rosario today, 'Whatever you do, she needs to be forwardly placed, but I don't want you on the lead.' She broke well, and he told me after that he thought about it (going to the lead), but he found a good spot. When I saw her at the quarter pole, I felt pretty comfortable because he had a ton of horse and we were just waiting to find a way through—when he did, she exploded."
Sterling Silver rallied wide under Javier Castellano to grab second, 2 1/2 lengths ahead of My Mane Squeeze. Both New York-breds are millionaires.
My Mane Squeeze clipped heels a furlong into the race, but recovered to be well positioned. She came up empty when jockey Manny Franco asked to fend off the bids of the top two in the lane.
Bred in Kentucky by Steve Weston and owned by Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stable, Jody's Pride is a 4-year-old daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of the Scat Daddy mare Jody's Song. American Pharoah, who had two Kentucky Derby (G1) competitors this year in Luxor Cafe and Publisher, stands at Ashford Stud for $45,000.
