Stepping into graded company for the first time, Love Cervere used a powerful turn of foot to outfinish her fellow 3-year-old fillies and win the $175,000 Glen Cove Stakes (G3T) Oct. 11 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Into Mischief filly trained by Miguel Clement for owners Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing already had two stakes wins to her credit. She was coming off an excellent second-place finish behind the highly regarded Saturday Flirt in a $225,000 classified allowance race Sept. 6 at Kentucky Downs.
On Saturday, Love Cervere was ninth early while under restraint from rider Manny Franco as the leader Me Governor went the opening quarter in :22.01 and a half-mile in :44.61.
Love Cervere advanced in traffic on the far turn, and then, after pushing It Aint Two out to attain room in upper stretch, Love Cervere kicked into high gear. She soon passed the five remaining fillies in front of her, finishing six furlongs on the firm turf in 1:08.44.
"Really nice filly. Miguel gave me a lot of confidence. He told me to ride the way that I wanted, but he wanted me to be patient, the way the ground is," the winning rider Franco said. "The field came back to me. At the same time, when I asked her, she was there for me. She took off when I asked her."
Grade 3-placed Flat Out Time finished a length back in second in her first turf start for owners Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, and Andrew Atkinson. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Tracy Farmer's 2024 Matron Stakes (G3T) winner Abientot in third.
Favored Love Cervere paid $6.76 to win. It was her third win on the Aqueduct turf, including her maiden score and a victory in the Take the A Train Stakes May 10.
"She loves Aqueduct," Clement said. "She has a great turn of foot, and she is ultra consistent, which makes our job a lot easier. She won at Woodbine, ran well at Saratoga, and Kentucky Downs.
"She's game, she's tough—everything you would like in a filly. She's a graded stakes-quality filly, and it's great that she finally has that on her resume."
Bred in Kentucky by Edward and Beverly Seltzer, Love Cervere has won four of eight starts and earned $366,712. She is out of the stakes-placed Black Minnaloushe mare Panther Strike and is a half sister to grade 3 winner Chapalu and stakes-placed Caroline Test.
