Personal Best

A Joseph Allen homebred, Personal Best was nurtured carefully early in her career by patient Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. She finished second or third in three of her first four races before a victory in her fifth start Sept. 8, 2022, at Kentucky Downs, where she surged well clear in deep stretch to post a 3 ¾-length victory.

A gray or roan filly by Tapit, Personal Best next finished second by a length in an October 2022 allowance race at Keeneland. She followed with a 4 ¾-length romp in an allowance race Nov. 18 at Aqueduct.

Personal Best made her stakes debut in the Tropical Park Oaks Dec. 26, 2022, at Gulfstream Park in a race moved off the turf due to inclement weather. She took the lead in the stretch but faded late in a third-place finish in the final start of her 3-year-old campaign.

McGaughey then pointed her to her graded stakes debut in the $150,000 La Prevoyante Stakes Presented by Don Julio on the Jan. 28, 2023, Pegasus World Cup undercard. Personal Best tracked the pace from fifth early and earned a measure victory under Joel Rosario to bank a breakthrough stakes win in her first race as a 4-year-old.

From a terrific family responsible for important sire Dynaformer, among others, Personal Best was produced by Grade 1 winner War Flag, by War Front.