This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.
Parx Racing
Three years ago, Swilcan Stable homebred Vequist just missed catching the front-running winner in her 2-year-old debut at Parx Racing. To say the daughter of Nyquist rebounded from that first-out defeat would be a vast understatement, as she went on to capture the Spinaway Stakes (G1) in her next start and later the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to cap an Eclipse Award-winning juvenile season in 2020.
Now, Vequist's younger half sibling, Kiss for Luck, will attempt to follow that same championship path after acing her debut May 23 at the Bensalem, Pa., oval. Bred and raced solely by Swilcan, which owned Vequist in partnership along with Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, Kiss for Luck was unveiled by trainer Robert Reid Jr. in a $45,000, 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies.
Away a step slowly, Kiss for Luck drove to the front and never relinquished the lead, rolling home a 1 3/4-length winner under jockey Paco Lopez. The bright bay stopped the timer in :54.95 over a fast main track.
Kiss for Luck became the sixth winner produced from Swilcan Stable's Mineshaft mare Vero Amore. Selected for only $15,000 by Reid at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, the mare went on to place second in the 2014 Black Eyed-Susan Stakes (G2) before retiring to the breeding shed.
Vequist was a filly who improved as the distances stretched out, and the future appears to be just as eminent for Kiss for Luck, who was sired by 2018 champion older dirt male Accelerate. The Lookin At Lucky stallion thrived over classic distances, securing three 1 1/4-mile victories in 2018, topped by the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Accelerate's offspring have been slow to replicate their sire's success, but with his oldest crop just turning 3 this year, perhaps the best is yet to come.
| BloodHorse Maiden Watch | |||||||
| Notable maiden winners for week of May 22-28 | |||||||
| Date | Track | Race | Horse | Sire | Dam | Starts | Notes |
| 5/22 | IND | 2 | Active Lane | Tonalist | Kenny Lane | 2 | Half sibling to G3SW Candy Man Rocket |
| 5/23 | PRX | 6 | Kiss for Luck* | Accelerate | Vero Amore | 1 | Half sibling to G1SW Vequist |
| 5/25 | DEL | 6 | Line of Sight | Gun Runner | Coppermine | 2 | $525K 2YO |
| 5/28 | CD | 3 | Lincoln Highway | Quality Road | Frivolous | 2 | Dam is G2SW/G1SP |
| 5/28 | CD | 5 | Mo Town Mayhem | Uncle Mo | Town Tour | 2 | Full sibling to G3SW Souper Hoity Toity |
* Denotes 2-year-old
