Calumet Farm's homebred Gin Gin has an affinity for Keeneland that was on full display Oct. 5 when she rolled gate-to-wire to upset the $650,000 Spinster Stakes (G1), earning her first grade 1 victory and defeating 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna.
The 4-year-old daughter of Hightail had previously earned her first graded win at Keeneland in April when she captured the Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) by 5 1/4 lengths.
While Gin Gin faced a tough task in the Spinster, competing not only against seven-time grade 1 winner Thorpedo Anna but also against grade 1 winner Nitrogen, trainer Brendan Walsh felt the filly had a legitimate shot.
"I think she is a filly that has a certain time of the year when she is blossoming. Some fillies do that. I thought she would run well today," he said. "Look, when you're running again fillies like Thorpedo Anna and Nitrogen, you're probably running for third, but I told (jockey) Luis (Saez) to go out there and be positive with her and try to win the race. Don't ride for a grade 1 placing."
Saez embraced those marching orders. He took Gin Gin immediately to the lead and carved out early fractions of :23.74, :46.69, and 1:10.40 with Thorpedo Anna at her flank down the backstretch. Nitrogen, racing three wide throughout, began her serious challenge as the field rounded the second turn. Gin Gin held Nitrogen off to win by a head. Juddmonte Farms' Scylla finished third. The final time was 1:49.77.
"It was a pretty fast :46 but I still had horse, and she dug in and fought to the end," Saez said. "When Nitrogen came to her, she never let her by."
Walsh said Gin Gin's tenacity in the stretch is a tribute to the toughness she's shown throughout her career.
"You love the horses that are tough like that, and she didn't deserve to get passed," he said. "She dug in and just ran huge."
Walsh said the victory is also a testament to owner/breeders like Calumet Farm's owner, Brad Kelley, who are willing to keep horses in training because they love to compete.
"Mr. Kelley is game and is not afraid to take a shot. We've seen it time and time again that Calumet horses pay big prices," he said. "She is a good filly and, in a way, I'm not totally surprised by the whole thing. Maybe she hangs on for another 12 months, and we wait for the Breeders' Cup here."
The Spinster Stakes is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), giving Gin Gin an automatic berth, all-expense paid entry. Walsh said the filly is likely to make the trip to Del Mar for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships. Keeneland is the host for the 2026 Breeders' Cup.
Trainer Mark Casse said he was disappointed to see Nitrogen get caught wide in both turns only to lose by a head, but he loved her performance.
"She showed me what I needed to see. She wants a target, and the pace was not fast enough," he said. "If she's OK, we're thinking the Breeders' Cup, but I'll have to talk to the Greens (owners Leonard and Jon Green)."
Kenny McPeek, the trainer of Thorpedo Anna, said he could not answer yet why his champion flattened at the top of the stretch to finish fourth. Later on, in a video posted on X, he speculated she might have an electrolyte imbalance and that blood work would provide a clearer picture.
"It is a humbling business," McPeek said after the race. "None of this is a given. They are fragile in the sense that they have bad days, and she has given us so many good days. Today was not a good day. We'll go over and see what it's about. An old guy told me years ago, 'Win like you're used to it and lose like you like it.' We will lose as gracefully as we've won."
Thorpedo Anna did not have her regular rider, Brian Hernandez Jr., who was sidelined due to injuries from a fall Sept. 21. Flavien Prat had the call in the Spinster and said she was very nice and relaxed before the race.
"I thought I was in a good spot going into the first turn. Even on the backside, I thought I was driving all right," he said. "When we got to the half-mile pole, that was it. I was in deep water. She came back good. We move on to the next."
Gin Gin is the second graded stakes winner sired by Calumet Farm's sire Hightail , a 15-year-old son of Mineshaft, who stood at the Lexington farm for $7,500 this year.
Hightail has sired eight career black-type winners to date, including the gelding Mongolian Groom, who won the 2019 Awesome Again Stakes (G1), and four-time stakes winner Dynatail.
