Spendarella

A New York-bred daughter of Breeders' Cup Mile champion Karakontie, Spendarella made her debut in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race on turf at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 2, 2022. She prompted the early pace and kicked away impressively to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

Off that performance, Spendarella was entered in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Mar. 5, 2022. She set the early pace and held sway on the lead for a 1 1/2-length gate-to-wire victory. 

Next out, Spendarella went off as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association at Keeneland on Apr. 8. Once again, she rated on the lead and drew off in the stretch to win her third consecutive race for trainer Graham Motion.

Sporting a 3-for-3 record in North America, Spendarella was shipped overseas to compete against some of the best 3-year-old fillies in Europe in the June 17 Group 1 Coronation Stakes at the Royal Ascot meet. With William Buick riding, she sat in a good position stalking the pace and kept on well in the one-mile race to finish ahead of 10 fillies, but she could not withstand a closing charge from unbeaten Group 1 winner Inspiral, who made her first start of 2022 a winning one in defeating Spendarella by 4 ¾ lengths.

Motion then brought Spendarella back to the U.S for a start in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 20. She once again sat a good trip in third through the backstretch before jockey Tyler Gaffalione pushed the button, and the filly responded to sweep to the lead at the top of the stretch and win going away by 4 ½ lengths over Grade 2 winner Bellabel in the 1 1/8-mile race.

Spendarella returned from an 8 ½-month layoff May 6, 2023, on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve undercard in the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes and ran second to Fluffy Socks. She made her next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game Stakes June 9 at Belmont Park and again fisnished second, this time to standout In Italian.

Spendarella is owned and bred by Gainesway Stable. She is out of the winning Unusual Heat mare Spanish Bunny and is a full sister (same dam [mother] and sire [father]) to dual stakes winner Spanish Loveaffair and a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to Grade 1 winner Spanish Queen.