Sunday Girl holds on to win Correction Stakes

Sunday’s $121,250 Correction Stakes at Aqueduct naturally belonged to Sunday Girl.

The 4-year-old daughter of four-time leading New York sire Central Banker nosed out St. Benedicts Prep for her second stakes victory in the 6-furlong open-company event for fillies and mares.

Owned by Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eighth Note Stable and trained by David Duggan, Sunday Girl added the Correction to her score in last year’s Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct. Katie Davis rode Sunday Girl, the even-money favorite in the field of five who won in 1:13.50.

“What a race,” Duggan said. “That was some game effort by St. Benedicts Prep. I knew if we were taking her on that today was the day, but hat’s off to her.”

Longshot Disco Ebo took the lead from post two just to the outside of Sunday Girl and withstood pressure from that foe through the opening quarter-mile in :23.39. Sunday Girl continued to hound Disco Ebo around the turn down inside as St. Benedicts Prep inched into contention ahead of Shop Lifting.

Sunday Girl came on even terms with Disco Ebo past the quarter-pole and the half-mile split in :47.46 before edging ahead turning for home. Sunday Girl put the early leader away approaching the eighth pole, opened up and braced for the late run from St. Benedicts Prep.

“I knew [Disco Ebo] wanted to go with us, but at that point I was half-way in and half-way out and I didn’t want to take out at that point,” Davis said of staying on the inside early aboard Sunday Girl. “I hit the turn and we started to move and if he [Abner Adorno on Disco Ebo] made any slight move, we would have been bouncing off the fence. But she’s so game, she ran right through that, she don’t care.”

St. Benedicts Prep made one final run just outside the finish but Sunday Girl hit the wire in time. Disco Ebo finished 2 1/2 lengths behind the top pair in third.

“I got nervous that last jump because she started mellowing out just a touch, but she held on,” Davis said.

Sunday Girl won for the third straight start and improved to 6-for-8 overall with earnings of $394,988. Her lone defeats came when seventh in the Bouwerie Stakes last summer at Saratoga Race Course and second in the Staten Island division of the NYSS in late November at Aqueduct.

“She’s stepping up but she’s coming along and become a more mature filly. That was a game effort,” Duggan said, adding that targets in upstate New York would again be on the agenda for Sunday Girl. “We will more than likely press the pause button now and look toward Saratoga.”

Sunday Girl brought the highest price for a New York-bred in the open portion of the 2022 OBS October yearling sale on a bid of $43,000 from Kathryn Martin. Mitre Box Stables purchased her for $100,000 about seven months later at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale, out of the de Meric Sales consignment.

Bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds LLC and Spruce Lane Farm and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, the chestnut filly is out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne.

Sunday Girl is a half-sister to Lady Jasmine, a New York-bred daughter of Cairo Prince also bred by McMahon and Spruce Lane who won her debut in 2022 at Saratoga Race Course. She’s won two of 17 starts with two other placings and earned $101,988.

Lady Daphe is also the dam of the winning New York-bred Laoban mare Proper Grammar, who earned $60,984 through the end of 2024.

Lady Daphne, purchased by McMahon of Saratoga for $17,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November breeding stock sale, is also the dam of the 3-year-old Solomini colt Brimsley and a 2-year-old full brother to Sunday Girl who was a $29,000 RNA at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale. McMahon of Saratoga and Spruce  Lane also bred a yearling full brother to Sunday Girl and Lady Daphne was bred back to Central Banker last season.

Central Banker, a 15-year-old son of Speightstown, stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs. He topped last year’s New York general sire list with progeny earnings of $5,436,573.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/03/02/sunday-girl-holds-on-to-win-correction-stakes/

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