Lael Stables‘ She Feels Pretty captured her fourth Grade I victory in a thrilling edition of the GI E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine Saturday, securing an automatic berth to the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar in November.
The 2-5 favorite broke evenly under John Velazquez and positioned herself near the front while Godolphin representative Diamond Rain (GB) stumbled at the start and found herself trailing the field.
She Feels Pretty settled into third as Hurricane Claire and last year’s King’s Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness set modest early fractions of :25.08 and :49.56. The Cherie DeVaux trainee showed signs of discomfort down the backside, swishing her tail repeatedly.
Velazquez later explained the filly had been struck from behind during the race.
“[She] got really anxious…you can see she got cut through the bandages. She got hit pretty good, but then she got pretty keen. So now, I have her covered up, and I’ve got to get in the clear a little bit. From then on it was a wrestling match with her,” said Velazquez.
Given room approaching the quarter pole, the 4-year-old rolled to the lead while three-wide turning for home. She spurted clear in early stretch but needed an all-out drive as Diamond Rain mounted a gallant late challenge, ultimately holding on to win by a head. Ready for Shirl completed the trifecta.
“I didn’t want to move too soon [because] the horse from Europe [Diamond Rain] was really close and really good,” Velazquez added. “I wrestled with [She Feels Pretty] past the 5/16ths pole and then finally put my hands down to let her do her thing. The last 16th of a mile, I don’t know what she saw, but she got lost. I thought, ‘Come on, don’t do this to me now. We’re almost there,’ but she got it done.”
The victory marked a return to the site of her first Grade I triumph in the 2023 Natalma Stakes. She Feels Pretty concluded her juvenile campaign with a close third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
At three, the Karakontie filly collected three stakes wins, highlighted by the GI QEII Cup over nine furlongs at Keeneland and the 10-furlong GI American Oaks at Santa Anita last December.
She maintained her winning form into 2025, taking the GIII Modesty Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 2 before securing a narrow victory in the 1 3/16-mile GI New York Stakes over yielding Saratoga turf on June 6. Heavily favored in her return to the Spa for the GI Diana Stakes on July 12, the Kentucky-bred was caught late by Excellent Truth (Ire) and had to settle for second.
DeVaux confirmed She Feels Pretty will “most definitely” accept the invitation to the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
SHE FEELS PRETTY ($2.90) held off a huge run from Diamond Rain (GB) in the @BreedersCup Filly & Mare Turf #WAYI $750,000 E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1)Â at @WoodbineTB. The Karakontie (@Gainesway) filly is trained by @reredevaux. @ljlmvel had the ride. pic.twitter.com/3a8aBbWpJK
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing)
SHE FEELS PRETTY ($2.90) held off a huge run from Diamond Rain (GB) in the August 16, 2025
Pedigree Notes
She Feels Pretty is out of Summer Sweet, a $550,000 juvenile purchase by Payson Stud at the Keeneland January Sale in 2016. The dam is a half to several successful runners including SW Summer Breezing, SW/GSP Adirondack Summer, and GISP Summer Solo, the dam of MGSW Solo Album and SW/GSP Maedean.
This represents the family of French MG1SW Act One (GB), G1SP Gharir (Ire), and G1SP Summer Symphony (Ire). She Feels Pretty has a 2-year-old half-sister named She Feels Stunning (American Pharoah), also trained by DeVaux, in addition to a yearling half-sister by Olympiad and a filly foal by Justify.
Race Results
Saturday, Woodbine E.P. TAYLOR S.-GI, C$754,500, Woodbine, 8-16, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT, 2:00.80, fm.
1–SHE FEELS PRETTY, 125, f, 4, by Karakontie (Jpn)
1st Dam: Summer Sweet, by More Than Ready
2nd Dam: Summer Solstice (Ire), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: Summer Sonnet (GB), by Baillamont
($240,000 Ylg ’22 KEESEP). O-Lael Stables; B-Payson Stud Inc (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux; J-John R. Velazquez. C$450,000. Lifetime Record: 12-8-2-2, $2,210,592. Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Diamond Rain (GB), 125, f, 4, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Dancing Rain (Ire) (Hwt. Filly-Eng- at 9 1/2 –11 f., Hwt. Filly-Eng- at 11 – 14 f., G1SW-Ger, G1SW-Eng, $932,081), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Rain Flower (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rose of Jericho, by Alleged
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (GB); T-Charles Appleby. C$150,000.
3–Ready for Shirl, 125, f, 4, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Perfect Shirl (GISW-USA, GSP-Can, $1,390,729), by Perfect Soul (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lady Shirl, by That’s a Nice
3rd Dam: Canonization, by Native Heritage
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/-Charles E. Fipke (KY); T-Roger L. Attfield. C$82,500. ‘TDN Rising Star’
Margins: HD, 10HF, 3/4. Odds: 0.45, 2.40, 15.55.
Also Ran: Venencia (Fr), Caitlinhergrtness, Literate, Hurricane Clair.
