Maracuja

Off a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight win, Maracuja made her graded stakes debut in the Grade 3 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct on Apr. 3. She closed in the stretch to finish second at 18-1, earning 40 points toward the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks in the process.

In the Kentucky Oaks, Maracuja went off at 37-1 and was a non-threatening seventh. She did not return to the races until the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on July 24. Bettors dismissed her at 14-1, the longest shot in the four-horse field. However, she proved the doubters wrong. With a strong, three-wide move for the lead entering the stretch, she wore down heavy favorite Malathaat and won by a head. That marked the first Grade 1 victory in the career of trainer Rob Atras.

Maracuja's 3-year-old season ended with two unplaced finishes in Grade 1 company. She returned to the races on Apr. 1, 2022, and won an allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park by two lengths.

Maracuja is owned by Beach Haven Thoroughbreds LLC. She was purchased for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale in August 2019. 

Maracuja is by 2015 Whitney Stakes winner Honor Code out of Patti’s Regal Song, who was stakes-placed at 1 1/16 miles.