Late charge gets Prado’s Sweet Ride a Regret victory

Prado’s Sweet Ride earned her first stakes victory in the Regret (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography)

Down seven lengths with three furlongs remaining, Darrell
and Sadie Brommer’s homebred Prado’s Sweet Ride (Fort Prado) turned in a determined stretch
run to edge Lady Zuzu (Dynaformer) by a head in Saturday’s $100,000
Regret (G3)
at Churchill Downs.

The trailer down the backside in a field of six
three-year-old fillies, Prado’s Sweet Ride chased a pace initially set by Urtheoneeyelove (Congrats), who got the first quarter in :24 over the firm turf.
Lady Zuzu took over from that rival approaching the half-mile marker, set splits
of :48 2/5 and 1:13 1/5, and opened up a commanding 3 1/2-length lead with a
furlong remaining.

Under Julien Leparoux, Prado’s Sweet Ride kicked into high
gear down the stretch and was just up in a time of 1:51 4/5 for 1 1/8 miles. The
Chris Block trainee returned $21 as the 9-1 fifth choice.

Lady Zuzu was a clear second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Return
to Grace (English Channel). Don’t Leave Me (Lemon Drop Kid), the 3-2 favorite,
finished a troubled fourth and was followed by Christina’s Journey (Any Given
Saturday) and Urtheoneeyelove. America Mon Amie (All American) was scratched.

Fifth in her debut last August over Arlington Park’s Polytrack, Prado’s Sweet Ride finished up her freshman season with a maiden win
at Arlington and an allowance score at Keeneland, both over the turf. She kicked
off her three-year-old campaign April 15 with an allowance win over older
fillies and mares on the Tampa Bay Downs turf, but finished a dull sixth as the
favorite in her stakes debut, the $75,000 Indy Star at Indiana Grand May 30.
Prado’s Sweet Ride has now earned $135,780.