Roses For Debra Draws Away To Giant's Causeway Win

Cheyenne Stable and John O’Meara’s Roses for Debra swept to the lead at the sixteenth pole and drew off for a 1¼-length victory over Love Reigns (IRE) to win the 27th running of the $260,713 Giant’s Causeway for fillies and mares Saturday at Keeneland.

Trained by Christophe Clement and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Roses for Debra completed the 5½ furlongs on a turf course rated good in 1:02.79. It is the third consecutive victory in the race and fourth overall for Ortiz with previous victories coming on Morticia in 2019, Campanelle (IRE) in 2022 and Twilight Gleaming (IRE) in 2023.

B G Warrior raced off to an unopposed lead with an opening quarter mile in :21.28 as Roses for Debra raced in fifth. Ortiz kept Roses for Debra in the clear and moved four wide at the top of the stretch to set after the leaders.

Elm Drive took over for B G Warrior at midstretch but could not fend off the bid from Roses for Debra. She yielded the runner-up spot to Love Reigns in deep stretch.

Now a winner of five consecutive races against her own sex, Roses for Debra is a 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Liam’s Map out of the Bernardini mare Essential Rose. A Keeneland sales graduate, Roses for Debra improved her record to 12-8-1-1 and boosted her earnings to $579,868 with Saturday’s $141,438 check.

Roses for Debra paid $5.52 for the victory. Love Reigns, ridden by Joel Rosario,  finished a length in front of Elm Drive under Luis Saez.

It was another half-length back to Secret Money, who was followed in order by B G Warrior, Play the Music, Bling, Oeuvre, Breeze Easy (GB), Port Townsend, High Class and Kissed by Fire.