Since stretching out to longer distances, Stellify has set fire to the turf with a pair of course records. Now, she will encounter the true test of her ability Sept. 6 while lining up for her first graded competition in the $2 million Ladies Marathon Invitational Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs.
Just as quick as she has been over those longer distances is the turnaround from her last race at the track. The Ladies Marathon falls just nine days after she defeated allowance foes on the Aug. 28 opening day card in a believed-to-be course record of 2:24.89 for 1 1/2 miles. All times at the current Kentucky Downs season will be under review at the end of the meet after a new timing system was introduced for the seven race days.
READ: Kentucky Downs to Review New Timing System After Meet
That quick turnaround is uncommon for trainer Brad Cox, which tips his hand on how well he thinks the 4-year-old daughter of Justify is doing.
"We left her down there, she walked a couple days. We got her back to the track and she's training well," Cox said. "You never know if they're going to like Kentucky Downs until they run over it. Obviously, she performed well there opening day."
Video: Race 3 (AOC) at KD on 8/28/25
If the time stands, that victory on opening day marked her second straight course record after blazing 1 3/8 miles on the Churchill Downs turf in 2:11.73 against allowance foes June 12. Those times should place her with a good chance Saturday if she can bounce back to the same effort for the 1 5/16-mile event.
To her benefit this weekend, Stellify is lightly raced with just five starts—all this season—under her belt. She had exhibited plenty of talent before her career started, breezing with the likes of multiple grade 2 winner Tarifa.
"I think the best is yet to come," Cox said. "We've always liked her; we always thought she had a good bit of talent. She's put it all together at the age of 4, hopefully, there's more to come."
A couple of setbacks early in her career sent her back home to Steve and Denise Smith's Mesingw Farm in Kentucky. The Smiths own 50% of the filly as Elements Racing and partner with George Messina and Michael Lee. The partnership purchased the WinStar Farm-bred filly for $140,000 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
"She had been a difficult filly to get to the races," Steve Smith said. "You have to have patience with a capital "P" and an exclamation mark behind it. We're big proponents of that. We tell the trainers all the time, even if it's something little, we'll stop."
That patience has paid off and Cox has been able to get the filly where she can perform at her best. Having recently begun their racing and breeding operation at the end of 2020, the Smiths took a big step by joining a larger operation like Cox's.
"We like to have a lot of input. That's not always welcome in a large barn," Denise Smith said. "(Cox) has so many big horses, you would think when she didn't make it at 2 or 3 that she would get lost in the shuffle. But he knew her potential and was so patient as well. He always treated her like a big horse, even though she didn't run 'til 4."
That open line of communication was important. After the filly lost her first two career starts at distances of a mile and 1 1/16 miles on turf, a debate was had among the ownership about where to run next: on the dirt or longer on the grass.
The Smiths were alongside Cox for a workout where Stellify was paired with the 2024 champion 2-year-old filly, Immersive, on the dirt. She kept up with the younger filly throughout, but was outdone on the gallop out. Cox and the Smiths looked at each other and agreed that stretching out on the grass was the option.
Since then, Stellify has been untouchable in three starts.
"They're pretty easy to deal with, that's what trainers look for," Cox said of the Smiths. "For a trainer, you're looking for someone to trust you and trust your judgement. So far, it's been really good with the filly we have for them."
That trust in the trainer's judgment brings Stellify to Saturday's task where she'll look to add to an already successful Kentucky Downs meet. Running a horse on the opening weekend of the short seven-day meet and then bringing them back the second weekend has become a common and successful trend over the last few years.
With the unique course not being to every horse's liking and the added purse bonuses offered to Kentucky-breds through the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, it makes it tempting to bring the horse back if they've proven they take to the course and emerge from their first race sound and full of energy.
The philosophy was used successfully by several horses last year, most notably Goliad, who returned six days after winning a handicap event to win the Mint Millions Stakes (G3T), pocketing just short of $1.5 million during the week.
Stellify is joined by Miwa in the Ladies Marathon, who also won an opening day allowance. Later in the card, Lagynos and Tawny Port return from their first weekend efforts to run in graded stakes on the second weekend.
"The biggest reason (for taking the swing) is she's doing well. The second is the purse," Cox said. "She's got a run over the track, we know she likes it. We like what we've seen from her since her run last Thursday."
Should she pull off the double, especially if she sets another quick time, the pay day will only be secondary to the emergence of a potential rising long-distance star on the grass.
"She's got a huge stride. She's just a filly that's going to run 12 seconds all day long," Steve Smith said. "The way she canters along, it doesn't look like she's going fast, but she just covers an immense amount of ground."
