No Show Sammy Jo Seeks First Graded Victory in The Very One

Graham Motion’s 6-year-old Lope de Vega mare No Show Sammy Jo goes to post in The Very One (G3) at Gulfstream Park today, a 1 1/8-mile turf test that Paulick Report and Gulfstream Park highlighted in their Feb. 26 previews. The mare arrives aiming to turn a string of close calls into her first graded stakes victory.

No Show Sammy Jo, listed as a Lope de Vega mare, has been a fixture in stakes company but has yet to break through at graded level, a career-long storyline Motion now tries to resolve in the Grade 3 The Very One. The horse’s profile and recent form drew specific attention in previews released the same day as the race, underscoring her status as the most discussed entrant in the field.

The Very One at Gulfstream Park is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, a distance that suits No Show Sammy Jo’s pattern of performances over middle turf distances. With the card taking place at Gulfstream on Feb. 26, 2026, connections have targeted this Grade 3 spot as the clearest opportunity for the 6-year-old to capture her first graded trophy after several near-misses in prior stakes assignments.

Paulick Report and Gulfstream Park both focused editorial attention on No Show Sammy Jo in their race-day previews, pointing to the mare’s consistency and to Graham Motion’s decision to keep her to turf routes. That tandem of coverage frames today’s race not just as another stakes appearance but as a defining chance for connections to answer the lingering question about whether the mare can convert repeated close finishes into a graded victory.

A win in The Very One would be the first graded score for No Show Sammy Jo and a tangible milestone for Graham Motion’s handling of a veteran Lope de Vega mare at age six. As the 1 1/8-mile turf test unfolds at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 26, 2026, the outcome will resolve whether those several near-misses were temporary frustration or the prelude to a late-career breakthrough for No Show Sammy Jo.