Nerazurri powers to Lady Jacqueline Stakes win at Thistledown

Nerazurri’s runaway Lady Jacqueline Stakes win at Thistledown looked less like a routine class drop and more like a mare reasserting herself in the older-filly-and-mare division. Sent off as the 7-10 favorite in the $250,000 Listed race at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, the 4-year-old Protonico filly powered clear under Flavien Prat and finished 4 3/4 lengths ahead in 1:51.60.

Take Charge Omaha held second and Low Country Magic was third, another 1 1/2 lengths back, but the separation mattered as much as the margin. Nerazurri had come out of a pair of Grade 1 attempts, and this time the drop in company translated into a decisive forward move rather than a narrow escape. The victory earned $150,000 and pushed her 2026 earnings past $400,000.

For Michael H. Eiserman and trainer Mark E. Casse, the result was the kind that changes how a horse can be placed next. Nerazurri, bred by Porta Pia Stables LLC and out of Beautiful Liar by Candy Ride, entered the race with a record of 17 starts, 5 wins, 3 seconds and 3 thirds. Her resume already included a runner-up finish in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 7, 2026, and a sharp half-mile move at Keeneland on June 12 that hinted the form was there if the right spot came along.

The Lady Jacqueline, in its 10th running, was built to attract quality. The race was restricted to fillies and mares 3 and up, with preference for graded stakes winners, then listed stakes winners and graded-stakes place finishers, then highest lifetime earnings. It shared the Thistledown card with the 92nd Ohio Derby, giving Nerazurri’s performance a place on one of the track’s biggest days.

The race history already includes Goldeneye Magic in 2025, Misty Veil in 2024, Le Da Vida in 2023, Army Wife in 2022 and Crystal Ball in 2021, a reminder that the Lady Jacqueline has become a useful test for established fillies and mares. The distance record stands at 1:47.40, well faster than Nerazurri’s time, but the bigger takeaway was the way she answered the class-relief question. Whether this was softer company exposing weaker rivals or a sign she has rediscovered her best form, Nerazurri left Thistledown with a result that opens richer possibilities.