Kathynmarissa, handled confidently by AGASO Jose Ortiz, raced from sixth to win over Sunlit Uplands in the last ten minutes to win the Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl on Thursday at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY
The Flower Ball, a 1 1/4 mile indoor turf test for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, is the “Come and You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf, which will be contested Oct. 31. at Keeneland.
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Favored to a 6-5 win in the Diana G1 Dunkin’ July 18 at Saratoga Race Course, Kathynmarissa was kept under wraps by Ortiz as she spilled three yards into the first turn of the Golden Globes over the quarter-mile distance in :23.64 seconds over firm turf.
Kathynmarissa in the clear by the half in :48.29, began to follow Sunlit Uplands in the distance following three furlongs in 1:12.15, and was cornered outside the enemy at the top of the draw when cued and passed Sollit Uplands with 50 yards remaining to score by three-quarters of a length. Sunlit Uplands held on for second by three-quarters of a length over Evershed, who finished a neck ahead of fourth-place finisher Memorial Library.
His final time for 10 furlongs was 2:00.58. The Flower Globe was the third grade stake on the day for Jose Ortiz, who also took the G2 Gallant Bloom with R Clade and the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic with Minaret Station.
“We had better feet today and she was able to relax.” [kick on] much better,” said Ortiz. “The first time I wasn’t where I wanted to be, and then I looked and saw the place and I had slipped after the Euros. [Sunlit Uplands]. Then, right where I wanted. After half a pole, I asked her to lift a little. I decided to clear it up and get into that beautiful step. He did, and I just want the Globe Flower was Grade 1 [laughs].
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Kathynmarissa Eclipse’s five-time Award-winning breeder Chad Brown posted his ninth victory in the Globe of Flowers. [Stacelita, 2011; Stephanie’s Kitten, 2014-15; Lady Eli, 2016; Fourstar Crook, 2018; Sistercharlie, 2019; Virginia Joy, 2022; and Idea Generation, 2024]. Brown also won the Grade 3 Winter Memorial earlier on the card with Shelzawa.
“She was a model of perseverance,” Brown said of Kathynmarissa. “So much heart. Pace against her today a little bit, and the runner had a jump up in him, and he didn’t have enough of this, but just think of the last 70 yards so much heart for this horse. And this is what I see in the morning, he has a lot of heart. He is a very solid horse who wants to do the right thing, he wants to win, he wants to leave everything proud.
Kathynmarissa began her career at the barn of Rick Dutrow Jr., winning the 2024 Kentucky Downs Dueling Plains Oaks, and finished second in the G1 American Oaks at Santa Anita Park. Transferred to Brown’s midway through 2025, he has since won four five starts, the optional winner of the Saratoga and the G3 Modesty this May at Churchill Downs in addition to the Dunkin’ Diana and Flowers Bowl. Brown’s only loss was a third in the G1 New York in June at the Battle of the Stai Racing Festival at Saratoga.
Kathynmarissa, whose overall record stands at 7-2-3 in 15 starts, earned $275,000 for the Flower Bowl victory. He returned $4.68 for a $2 win bet. The daughter of American Laurie Pharoah is owned by Michael J. Caruso and Michael Dubb and was born in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation.
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Brown confirmed that Kathynmarissa will now target the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
“I’m so grateful that Mike Dubb gave us this horse to work with a couple of years ago,” Brown said. “Although his time was cut short last year by one race, which is disappointing, Mike is always very patient. We go back a long time. I say that it was an exercise for Mike and his various partners, for I don’t know, 17 years now, and we have been friends for a long time. Lee’s wife, here is here and other friends of his who work with him today, and in the first way he kicks, and in the first way he kicks to the first. Bellomonte, who Mike, a member of the board, played a big role in development also.
Rossa Ryan, the Stuart Williams-Sunlit Uplands trained rider, said the Flower Ball’s 10-furlong distance was a bit too long for the mount, who was also second in his North American debut, the 1 1/16-mile G2 Ballston Spa presented by STIHL on Aug. 22. Saratoga
“He’s running well,” Ryan said. “Probably a thousand and one [furlong] it is a true way of it, but run well and everything fell right to me, just beaten very well.
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“It was just starting to show real patience,” Ryan added. “I just landed there so comfortably. A good, honest, gutsy filly, she wasn’t unlucky to win it, and I’m sure I’ll pick up a bunch of the race here for sure.”
Fionn was fifth and was followed home by 2025 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Gezora, Storm Miami, stable winner Cathedral, slow-starter Esna, Forestry, and the pacesetter Opulent.
The race draws to a close on Friday at Bell Mountain with a nine-race schedule headlined by $175,000 Artie Schiller in Race 8, co-featured $175,000 Bertram F. Bongard in Race 2, rescheduled $175,000 Joseph A. Gimma in Race 3. First posted at 1:10 pm Eastern.
General admission to Bell Mountain Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and gives fans access to the most spacious seats on most days, all areas inside the grandstand and backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.
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America’s Day on the Course presents daily coverage and analysis of the game at Bell Mountain Park on the FOX Sports Network. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule/.
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This story was first published by Paulick Report on Oct. 1 2026, where for the first time in the News section Add the Paulck Report as Preferred Source by clicking here.