Explora goes gate-to-wire in Leslie’s Lady S. at Churchill Downs

Making her first start since finishing a gallant fourth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Explora scored a front-running victory in the $225,000 Leslie’s Lady S. on June 7 at Churchill Downs.

Bob Baffert decided that the one-turn Leslie’s Lady would be a better fit for the 3-year-old filly than another two-turn race, and that proved true on the track. In the early stages, Explora was pressed by Brooklyn Blonde, who kept on the pressure until just before turning for home. In the stretch, On Time Girl gave chase, but could get no closer than the final margin of 1 ¼-lengths.

“We were really confident she’d run well in the Oaks but she got pressured the entire way,” Baffert said. “They went fast early and she never really got a chance to get a breather. I was debating about taking her to the Acorn (GI) but we decided to keep her one turn for now. We’ll probably take her to the (Aug. 8) Test Stakes (GI) at Saratoga after this.”

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Explora won the Oak Leaf S. (G2) at two, and the Santa Ynez S. and Honeybee S. (G3) earlier this year. Her overall record is 5-3-0 in nine starts, with earnings of $1,259,415.