Sweet Melania

Sweet Melania, a daughter of 2015 Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner American Pharaoh owned by Robert and Lawana Low and trained by Todd Pletcher, broke her maiden at Saratoga in her third start after finishing third in each of her first two appearances. Following that win in a 1 1/16-mile turf race on July 14, 2019, she jumped up to stakes company in the P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29 at the same distance and nearly won, yielding to Crystalle by a neck.

She then shipped to Keeneland for the Grade 3 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes on Oct. 9, a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series qualifying race for the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and drew off at the top of the stretch to win going away under Jose Ortiz. She led in the stretch of the Juvenile Fillies Tiurf but faded late and finished third.

After a break of 7 ½ months, Sweet Melania returned in the Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes on the postponed June 20, 2020 Belmont Stakes undercard at Belmont Park. Facing a small but competitive field, she set a modest pace in the one-mile race and had plenty of reserve in the stretch to post an impressive comeback victory. She followed with a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes Aug. 28 at Saratoga, where she was caught in the closing strides by Selflessly.

After almost a year and a half without a win, Sweet Melania returned to the winner's circle with a victory in the Grade 3 Suwanee River Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 18, 2021. 

The Lows bought Sweet Melania for $600,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She is out of the stakes-winning Discreet Cat mare Sweet N Discreet, who is a full sister to Grade 2 winner Discreet Dancer and a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Travelin Man.