Runaway Diva powers to Mo Green Handicap win for Hemingway at Gulfstream

Michelle Hemingway’s return to Gulfstream Park produced the kind of result that suggests a barn finding its footing again. Runaway Diva handled a sharp one-turn mile, wore down 4-5 favorite Indy Bay, and drew clear to win the $75,000 Mo Green Handicap by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:36.90.

The 5-year-old Runhappy mare carried highweight at 123 pounds in Race 10, the one-mile dirt handicap for fillies and mares 4 and up, and still found more when it mattered. Under Samy Camacho, she pressed Indy Bay through an opening half-mile in 46.43 seconds, edged up on the turn and finished the job in the lane on a fast track. Runaway Diva paid $10.00 to win, with Indy Bay second and St. Olaf Rose third. The official chart also listed scratches Calling the Shots, which went out veterinarian, and Puckered, which re-entered.

For Hemingway, the victory carried more weight than a single stakes-level paycheck. It came at the same track where she recorded her first U.S. win on Oct. 16, 2021, when Manor House took a one-turn mile allowance in 1:36.03 under Romero Maragh. Before returning to the United States, Hemingway had already built a strong record in South Africa, where she saddled multiple Grade 1 winners as an assistant to Michael de Kock and others. This Gulfstream victory served as a reminder that her name belongs back in the conversation.

Runaway Diva’s form backed up the performance. She had entered off a 2026 debut fourth in a stakes at Colonial Downs, and she closed 2025 with runner-up finishes in the Twixt and the Delaware Handicap after a 6 1/2-length optional-claiming win at Colonial. Through April 18, she had 18 starts, four wins, six seconds and two thirds, with earnings of $298,145. Her 2026 line stood at three starts, one win and one second, with $56,000 earned.

Camacho’s ride was part of a bigger Gulfstream afternoon for the rider, who collected four wins on the card. Hemingway also won the first race with Americandreammaaker, giving the stable a two-win day and a sharper profile as Holly Hill Stables LLC continues to build a broodmare band and a pipeline of younger horses. Runaway Diva looked like the kind of horse that can keep that upward line going, especially at the mile trip where Hemingway believes she is at her best.