Kathynmarissa unleashes late rally to win Modesty Stakes at Churchill Downs

Kathynmarissa did not win the Modesty Stakes the way Chad Brown drew it up. She broke slowly, dropped to the rear, and then turned Churchill Downs’ tactical crawl into a showcase for patience, timing and a backup plan that was already waiting when the race changed shape.

In the 69th running of the $478,670 Grade 3, the 5-year-old American Pharoah mare surged past Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Gezora to win by 1 1/4 lengths on the Matt Winn Turf Course, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.13 on firm ground. The slow early tempo, with fractions of :23.97 and :48.49, made late kick the decisive weapon, and Jose Ortiz used it to perfection. Kathynmarissa returned $8.58 to win and earned her first graded stakes victory while improving her record to 12 starts, 5 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds.

Brown said he expected a good run, but the poor break immediately altered the complexion of the race. Instead of pressing the pace as intended, Kathynmarissa settled into last and let the field come back to her. Ortiz said he did not panic after the bad break and simply followed Gezora’s move in the stretch, keeping the mare in rhythm until it was time to swing out and strike. That adjustment, not raw speed, decided the race.

The win carried extra weight because of what Kathynmarissa has already been through. Brown had not raced her much because of health issues, and after showing promise late in 2024, she endured an uneven 2025. Now she has started her 5-year-old season by beating elite company and looking like a mare whose best days may still be ahead if she stays sound. Brown said the mare had been training very well over the winter and since arriving at Churchill Downs, and he called it a strong opening to the year.

Brown also trained the runner-up, Gezora, who was making her first start since winning the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Whiskey Decision, another Brown trainee, finished fourth, underscoring how much the race belonged to his barn. Brown had previously won the Modesty with Bleeker Street in 2022, while Ortiz had taken the race in 2024 aboard Fast as Flight.

Kathynmarissa, owned by Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb, was bred by Don Alberto Corporation and purchased by HR Bloodstock for $200,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She has now earned more than $1.57 million. The Modesty itself carries a deeper history too, named for the filly Modesty and linked to Isaac Burns Murphy’s 1884 American Derby victory, a reminder that Churchill Downs’ turf feature still connects modern graded stakes racing to its oldest roots.