Modarosa wins Lyphard Stakes at Penn National by 2 3/4 lengths
Modarosa stamped herself as a horse to watch on the Penn National turf, drawing clear by 2 3/4 lengths in the $75,000 Lyphard Stakes.
Modarosa turned the Lyphard Stakes into a clean regional turf statement at Penn National, opening up late and finishing 2 3/4 lengths clear of Nature's Candy in the $75,000 stakes for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up. The 5-year-old mare handled 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:40.34 and left little doubt that she was the best horse on the day.
The margin mattered as much as the win itself. Racey Ruby finished third, another 1 1/2 lengths back, while the rest of the field never got close enough to threaten the outcome. Modarosa's victory was more than a favorable setup or a perfect trip. It was the kind of decisive turf performance that can push a mare into better placement next time, especially on the Mid-Atlantic circuit where firm-ground stakes often separate the merely useful from the genuinely dependable.
Manuel Franco rode Modarosa for trainer Riley Mott, and the win gave DeSales 85 LLC a black-type score that should carry weight beyond the afternoon purse. BloodHorse identified Blackstone Farm LLC of Pennsylvania as the breeder. Equibase listed Modarosa as a Pennsylvania-bred filly foaled March 5, 2021, by Palace Malice out of Essential Rose by Bernardini, a pedigree that now has a stakes-winning line attached to it on the turf.
The Lyphard came back with a clear finishing order: Modarosa, Nature's Candy, Racey Ruby, Xmas in Cairo, Candy Reward, Jeanne Marie and Warrior's Miss. Princess Javoncia, Getaway Palace and Kindred Hearts were scratched. Modarosa paid $3.80 to win, $2.40 to place and $2.10 to show, numbers that reflected her status as the horse to beat once the race unfolded.
The result also tightened up her résumé in a meaningful way. Equibase listed her after the race with 8 starts, 3 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third, along with $120,510 in earnings. For a mare in this division, a stakes win like this does more than add a line to the page. It raises her profile for the next round of regional turf spots, strengthens her value in the black-type market, and suggests she may belong in deeper company if she can repeat this kind of efficient, professional effort.
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