Miss J McKay made her final start of 2022 a winning one on Saturday, Dec. 24, taking the Abundantia Stakes at Gulfstream Park for the second consecutive year.

 

The Abundantia marked Miss J McKay’s first start since an eighth-place finish in the Sensible Lady Turf Dash at Pimlico on Sept. 24. Her next appearance was at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale, where she sold for $325,000 to Oakwood Stables, Cheyenne Stable LLC and trainer Christophe Clement. She returned to the worktab in late November at Clement’s Payson Park base, and was targeted for the Abundantia in her debut for her new connections. She went off as the 7-2 third choice in the nine-horse field.

 

Under Tyler Gaffalione, she broke well from post position five and drafted towards the back of the pack in the early stages. As they turned for home in the five-furlong turf dash, she appeared to have run, but lacked racing room. Gaffalione shifted her out of traffic and set her down for the drive.

 

In the stretch, Miss J McKay advanced powerfully to the lead. She swallowed up early leaders Miss Auramet and Stony Point while keeping the rest of the closers at bay. She hit the line in front by one and a quarter lengths. The final time for five furlongs over the “good” turf was :56.18.

 

The victory improved Miss J McKay’s career record to 6-4-3 from 20 starts, with earnings of $466,893. She’s now a four-time stakes winner, having previously won the License Fee Stakes at Belmont Park in May 2022 and the Anne Arundel County Stakes at Laurel Park in September 2019. She’s placed in seven other stakes races.

 

Bred by Linda Ohliff Rohleder, Miss J McKay is by former Maryland stallion Hangover Kid. In addition to this year’s Keeneland Sale, Miss J McKay has sold at auction three other times. She was purchased for $1,500 by D R Investments at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed Sale as a weanling, then sold for $55,000 to Maxis Stable at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale in 2018. After racing for Maxis and trainer Cal Lynch in her 2 and 3-year-old seasons, she sold for $300,000 to Jackson Farms at the Keeneland November Sale in 2020. Turned over to trainer Christophe Clement, she raced for owners Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, Tony Weintraub and Brandon Dalika until her most recent sale. 

 

Miss J McKay is the first foal out of her dam, Maryland-bred Ballykiss (Street Boss). A descendant from the family of Allaire duPont’s graded stakes-winning mare Thirty Years, Ballykiss is also dam of the winning filly Imaginthekiss (Imagining) and the placed Mr. J McKay, a full brother to Miss J McKay, from three foals of racing age.

 

Sold for $180,000 in foal to Constitution at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale in 2021 to WinStar Farm, Ballykiss has since produced fillies by Constitution in 2021 and Speightstown in 2022 and was bred to Justify for 2023.