By J.N. Campbell
There is nothing unpredictable when it comes to trainer Todd Pletcher's record in the GII Demoiselle Stakes because he has had his share of top flight winners like Stopcharging Maria (Tale of the Cat), Malathaat (Curlin) and Nest (Curlin).
On Saturday in the 104th edition of the race at Aqueduct, the Hall of Famer's count hit 10 when his Repole-owned filly Zany (American Pharoah–Mo' Green, by Uncle Mo) looked stout as she motored home to nab 10 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks.
Zany's career started with a bang when she graduated by 6 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park Nov. 2. Priced as the 75 cents on the dollar favorite here, the 2-year-old tracked Shilling (Global Campaign) into the first turn and up the backstretch. Firing on all cylinders around the far turn, the chestnut went to work down the lane and won by eight lengths in geared-down fashion when the race was all said and done. Jumping the Gun (Gun Runner) was the runner-up.
“It went like we hoped it would,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “She trained very impressively, but you are always concerned making one start at 6 1/2 [furlongs] and stretching out to a mile and an eighth in only her second start. I thought her last breeze before we decided to ship her was pretty impressive, so it seemed like the right thing to do.
“Just the way she galloped out, and the way she's always trained, in particular the work before she shipped up here,” he said. “She galloped out like she was wanting more ground.”
“We probably won't get an opportunity to run a mile and an eighth until the Kentucky Oaks, if we are fortunate enough to get there,” Pletcher added. “We'll ship her back in a few days to Palm Beach Downs, and we'll come up with a game plan.”
“Man, I hope so,” the Hall of Famer said about where his filly fits into the pantheon of Demoiselle winners that he has trained. “Malathaat, Nest, some of those that were able to go on and have great careers afterwards. It's been a race for us that has not only been lucky on the day, but it's produced some horses have gone on and done very well.”
Pedigree Notes:
Zany is her sire's (by Pioneerof the Nile) 33rd graded stakes winner. The filly joins a list which includes Japanese champion Cafe Pharoah, and stateside winners like As Time Goes By and Marketsegmentation, just to name a few.
The dam of five foals, four to race and as many winners, Mo' Green produced a filly by Twirling Candy–a $450,000 2025 Keeneland September buy for California Dreaming Racing. Also of note, Mike Repole acquired the winner's dam who is in foal to Vekoma for $550,000 at the recent Keeneland November sale.
Saturday, Aqueduct
DEMOISELLE S.-GII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 12-6, 2yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.55, ft.
1–ZANY, 118, f, 2, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Mo' Green (GSW, $279,420), by Uncle Mo
2nd Dam: She's a Rebel Too, by Two Punch
3rd Dam: Dixieland Queen, by Dixieland Band
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($350,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG). O-Repole Stable; B-D.J. Stable (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $161,500. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue- style pedigree.
2–Jumping the Gun, 122, f, 2, Gun Runner–Breaking Bread, by Quality Road. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Imaginary Stables; B-John Guarnere (KY); T-Andrew L. Simoff. $50,000.
3–Concurrently, 118, f, 2, American Pharoah–Dreamcall, by Midnight Lute. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($150,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Mike G. Rutherford (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
Margins: 8HF, NK, 3HF. Odds: 0.75, 8.13, 4.20.
Also Ran: Shilling, Believable, Ivy Girl.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
ZANY stays perfect! She goes 2-for-2 with a dominant score in the G2 Demoiselle under @iradortiz for trainer @PletcherRacing, who gets his 10th win in this race. She also picks up 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks! pic.twitter.com/BMjZE5Tbuu
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) December 6, 2025
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