May Day Ready

May Day Ready was purchased for $325,000 by owner KatieRich Stables as a 2-year-old at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. April 2024 auction. The Tapit filly made her first start Aug. 4 in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on turf at Saratoga and posted a 25.75-1 upset by a nose under Frankie Dettori.

Dettori retained the mount for the filly’s next start and stakes debut in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes Sept. 8. With Dettori back aboard, May Day Ready sat in midpack early in that one-mile race and powered clear in Kentucky Downs’ long stretch to win by 1 ¾ lengths.

Sporting a 2-for-2 record, May Day Ready next started in the Jessamine Stakes Presented by Keeneland Sales on Keeneland’s Oct. 4 opening-day card. She had trouble early in the race after exchanging bumps and then checking behind a rival, but then the filly settled near the back of the 11-horse field through the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile turf race before moving up through the far turn and angling out for a closing bid. Under strong urging by Dettori, May Day Ready caught up to leader Totally Justified and also matched strides with fellow closer Destino d’Oro in a thrilling conclusion, winning a three-horse photo by a nose to stay undefeated. The filly gave trainer Joseph Lee a Grade 2 score as his first career win at Keeneland and also earned a fees-paid berth to the Nov. 1 John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

May Day Ready relaxed off the pace in the Juvenile Fillies Turf and made a sustained late rally to surge into contention, but she could not catch European star Lake Victoria and finished second in the first defeat of her career.

May Day Ready is out of the Group 3-winning More Than Ready mare Nemoralia.