Lush Lips (GB)

Lush Lips began her career in Ireland and was brought to the United States beginning with the latter part of her 2-year-old campaign in 2024. The British-bred Ten Sovereigns filly won her first race in career start number three, scoring by seven lengths in a 1 mile and 70-yard race on Gulfstream Park’s all-weather Tapeta surface on Nov. 23, 2024. 

Lush Lips got back on the grass to begin her 3-year-old campaign and remained there all of 2025 while achieving much success. She won her first outing as a 3-year-old in a Gulfstream turf route allowance optional claiming race on Jan. 10, 2025, and then finished second in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 8 at Tampa Bay Downs where she was beaten by Nitrogen. In her next race she was thwarted again by that same rival at Churchill Downs in the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes on May 2. She quickly got back into the win column in her subsequent race with a victory in Churchill’s $210,000 Tepin Stakes going one mile on the turf on June 28. Lush Lips then shipped out to Del Mar and finished a solid second in her first career Grade 1 assignment in the Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 16.

Lush Lips was back at the Grade 1 level again in her next race and this time she would not be denied. She was victorious in the Grade 1, $800,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes Presented by Dixiana at Keeneland on Oct. 11, when she topped at eight-horse field by a winning margin of 1 ¼ lengths with Tyler Gaffalione aboard.

In her first start after that career-topping triumph, Lush Lips stalked the pace set by Classic Q in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs before engaging that foe in upper stretch. The filly was all out under Gaffalione to put Classic Q away late and then hold off a swift closing rally by Pretty Picture to prevail by a half-length.