Taking great pleasure in making her first start at Delaware Park, Dark Hollow Farm’s homebred filly JOY is now a stakes winner! The 3-year-old daughter of Pure Prize and Flatter mare SAFE JOURNEY bounced over the firm Delaware turf and pulled away to a one-length victory in the $50,000 Christiana Stakes on Wednesday, July 10. 

The latest in a long line of stakes performers descending from Dark Hollow’s legendary foundation mare SAFELY HOME, JOY went off as the second choice in the field of six. She saved ground early under Matthew Rispoli, made a three-wide move rounding the far turn to join the leaders, was drifted wide but continued on strongly before shaking clear late. It was the second win in a row for the Graham Motion trained-chestnut, after defeating older runners in allowance company on the festive Preakness Day undercard at Pimlico in May. With her stakes score, JOY has earnings of $103,400 and been on the board in six of her 11 starts.

JOY represents the third-generation of SAFELY HOME’s special family. She is the first foal for her dam SAFE JOURNEY; her second dam is stakes-placed $114,923-earner Safe At the Plate, a half-sister to Hall of Famer SAFELY KEPT, the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1-winning multimillionaire. Safe At the Plate is also the dam of graded stakes-placed runners Cognac Kisses ($178,094) and Kettle Won ($113,606) and $361,313-earner Glide Home.