Ways and Means

Ways and Means flashed natural ability as a 2-year-old when winning her career debut by 12 ¾ lengths at Saratoga Race Course and then running second in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes in her second start.

The bay filly made a nice impression in her 3-year-old debut when returning from more than 6 ½ months off to finish second in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks Presented by FanDuel TV on March 30. She took the lead in early stretch but could not hold off Power Squeeze and finished a length behind the winner.

Ways and Means got back in the win column when back at Saratoga as a 3-year-old. First, she won a one-mile allowance race by 8 1/4 lengths during the brief June meet on June 6, 2024, but at that point the best was still yet to come. Was and Means returned to Saratoga on Aug. 3 for the running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Test Stakes going seven furlongs. Sent off as the 0.70-1 favorite in a five-horse field in the Test Stakes, Ways and Means delivered with a 2 1/2-length victory over a muddy track. 

Ways and Means made one final tune-up for a planned start in the Breeders’ Cup Sept. 29, when she faced off against four opponents in the 6 ½-furlong, $250,000 Gallant Bloom Stakes at Belmont at the Big A. She sat off the early pace set by eventual runner-up Nic’s Style and took over at will at the top of the stretch en route to an easy four-length victory with Flavien Prat aboard.

The Klaravich Stables’ homebred Practical Joke filly is a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to Grade 1 winner Surge Capacity and stakes winner Highly Motivated, the 2021 Toyota Blue Gras Stakes runner-up.