Yuugiri

Yuugiri made her debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs on Sept. 17, 2021. She rated off the pace and drew off in the stretch for an impressive 7 1/2-length victory under Tyler Gaffalione.

On the strength of that win, Yuugiri was the odds-on choice in the Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill on Oct. 30. She pressed the pace and finished second, beaten ten lengths behind Sandstone. She ended her campaign with a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill on Nov. 27.

Yuugiri made her 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 26, 2022, and finished a well-beaten third behind the very impressive Secret Oath. Next out, she won the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes on Apr. 2, for her first stakes win. The victory also earned her 100 qualifying points for the Longines Kentucky Oaks on May 6.  Yuugiri set the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks on a wet-fast track but faded late and finished 13^th in the 14-horse field at 42-1 odds.

Given an extended break after the Kentucky Oaks, Yuugiri returned Dec. 30, 2022, at Oaklawn Park and cut back to a sprint distance, winning a three-quarter-mile allowance race by 2 ¼ lengths.

The Shackleford filly remained at sprint distances for her 4-year-old campaign and won the Carousel Stakes on a loppy track at Woodbine in her season debut in February.

Subsequently unplaced in the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland and the License Fee Stakes at Belmont Park, Yuugiri got back on track with a front-running 3 ¼-length score in the Saylorville Stakes at Prairie Meadows. Two starts later she added a three-length win in the Open Mind Stakes in September at Churchill Downs.

Yuugiri was entered in the $350,000 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes on the Oct. 7 Fall Stars car at Keeneland and battled back after being headed in the stretch by Wicked Halo and edged that rival by a nose after a thrilling stretch duel.

Yuugiri's next start came in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. Send off as  26-1 underdog on the tote board in a field of nine, Yuugiri pressed the pace and held on for second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner, Goodnight Olive.