Late-Running Prosecco Announces Herself at Churchill Downs

The Girvin filly Prosecco made her first start count on Friday, taking the seventh race at Churchill Downs after a debut that did not look promising through the opening half-mile. She sat well off the pace early, and for a stretch it seemed the outcome would go the other way. Then Prosecco found her stride exactly when the race asked her to, closing with the kind of run that turns a maiden field's attention toward a name worth remembering. For a first-time starter, it was the sort of finish that tells more than a win alone — a filly still learning her job, doing the hardest part of it well.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.