FAVORITE AG BULLET BAGS ANOTHER STAKES WIN IN GIII, $100,000 MONROVIA STAKES FOR OLDER FILLIES AND MARES ON THE HILLSIDE TURF COURSE

ARCADIA, CA (April 6, 2024)—Favorite Ag Bullet made it two stakes wins in a row for trainer Richard Baltas with a comfortable victory in Saturday’s GIII, $100,000 Monrovia Stakes for older fillies and mares on the hillside turf course.

Ag Bullet (3-2) and jockey Umberto Rispoli dueled on the front end with 2-1 second choice Gracelund Gray through fractions of 21.78 and 43.76 for the opening half mile. Ag Bullet edged to the lead when passing the dirt crossing into the stretch and easily held off the late challengers to score by 1 1/2 lengths.

Ag Bullet won in a final time of 1:12.67 for about 6 ½ furlongs on firm turf. Miss Lizzy (13-1) under Hector Berrios rallied for second with Getthemoney (3-1) and Frankie Dettori another head back in third.

Ag Bullet improved her record to 4-0-0 in six starts for owners Calvin Nguyen and Joey C. Tran. As a 3-year-old last year, when trained by George Papaprodromou, Ag Bullet earned her first stakes win in the one-mile Lady of Shamrock at Santa Anita in February. She made just one more start a month later at Turfway Park before being sidelined for the remainder of the year.

Ag Bullet returned Feb. 25 with Baltas as trainer in in the restricted Wishing Well Stakes on the hillside turf course. She promptly scored by 1 ½ lengths at 3-1 under Rispoli.

Ag Bullet paid $5.00, $3.20 and $2.40. Miss Lizzy, trained by Doug O’Neill, returned $8.20 and $4.00. Getthemoney, trained by Brian Koriner, paid $3.40 to show.

By Twirling Candy, Ag Bullet was purchased for $200,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale. With the $60,000 winner’s share of the purse, she pushed her earnings to $230,300.