Ritzaphena Becomes First Stakes Winner for Lexitonian
Ritzaphena , the first winner for Lexitonian , is now the freshman sire’s initial stakes winner. Following up a two-turn turf victory July 13 at Lone Star Park on debut, the 2-year-old filly improved to 2-for-2 in capturing the $109,770 Prairie Meadows Debutante Stakes Aug. 15.
A cutback in distance to six furlongs and a shift to dirt proved no problem for Sandeep Patel’s Ritzaphena, who rated in fifth under Elvin Gonzalez before rallying to a 1 1/4-length victory over Lady Captain over a fast track at Prairie Meadows. The Jayde Gelner trainee was in 1:12.39, and paid $26.20 to win.
Bred in Kentucky by Brandywine Farm, Ritzaphena is out of the Desert Party mare Ritz and Glitz . She was purchased for $75,000 by Scott Gelner from the SGV Thoroughbreds consignment in April’s Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
A Calumet homebred who stood at the Lexington farm this season for a fee of $7,500, Lexitonian was a graded winner at ages 3 and 5. He took the 2019 Chick Lang Stakes (G3) and later added the 2021 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. He also picked up top-level stakes placings in the 2021 Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) and 2020 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1).
Lexitonian posted a 5-2-2 record from 21 starts and earned $718,682.
Besides Ritzaphena, his other leading money-earning juveniles from his first crop include the placed maidens Inordinary and Fire and Wine .
