Grayosh rallied three-wide in the stretch to run down Long Ago and stablemate City Girl to win the $300,000 G3 Matchmaker Stakes by a length at Monmouth Park on Saturday, 18 July.
The victory was the second Graded Stakes win for the five-year-old Yoshida mare, who captured the G2 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga as a three-year-old.
Grayosh broke well under Tyler Gaffalione and settled off the pace in fourth, content to let Creative Stuff and City Girl to lead the way. Saving ground along the inside rail throughout the nine-furlong turf contest, Grayosh was forced to wait for racing room on the far turn.
At the top of the stretch Grayosh angled out and began to rally while racing three-wide near the center of the course. The daughter of Yoshida continued her drive, eventually reeling in City Girl and Long Ago in deep stretch to win going away by a length. Long Ago got the better of City Girl to take second.
Grayosh was bred in Kentucky by Susan E. Bedwell and is out of Rosie O’Prado, a multiple Stakes-placed daughter of Paddy O’Prado. Rosie O’Prado is out of Stakes-placed Nashwan Rose, and hails from the family of Champions El Gran Senor, Try My Best, and Solar.
Grayosh is the fourth Stakes winner and second Graded Stakes winner of the year for her sire, Yoshida, who is also represented by Faithful Departed, winner of the G3 Regret Stakes, Eff Thirty Five (Alphabet Soup Stakes), and Yo Daddy (listed Excelsior Stakes).
