BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Live Oak Plantation homebred Ultimate Love kept her record unblemished in three starts with a convincing victory in the $125,000 Selima Stakes at Laurel Park Saturday. Trained by Michael Trombetta and ridden by Jorge Ruiz, Ultimate Love won going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf in a field of nine 2-year-old fillies.
Ultimate Love and Ruiz were in no hurry after breaking from post three, placing themselves in a comfortable fourth, three-and-a-half lengths behind leader Celebrity Warrior (Ire) and She’s Country in second around the first turn. Ultimate Love patiently continued in fourth down the backstretch before she began targeting the leaders with a three-wide move around the second turn after slow fractions of :24.36 and :49.74 on the firm turf. Celebrity Warrior turned for home a length-and-a-half in front of Ultimate Love in second on the outside but was unable to vend off the challenge as Ultimate Love took over with a burst in the final furlong. Ultimate Love stretched her lead to four lengths under the wire while finishing in 1:43.58. Celebrity Warrior was second by a length-and-a-half faster than Sweet Little Lila (Ire) third. She’s Country, Autonome, Lovely Grey, Amberia (Ire) and Spitfire completed the order of finish.
Ultimate Love paid $5 to win.
“Very laid back,” Trombetta said of Ultimate Love. “I told [Ruiz] in the paddock today that you have a good post. Hopefully, you can find a good spot that you like, and he did a good job of it. I was a little concerned when [Celebrity Warrior] got loose by itself. She had a very good number in her first start.”
Ultimate Love was introduced with a smart two-and-a-three-quarters of a length win against maiden special weight fillies going a mile on the turf Colonial Downs on July 24, circling four-wide between horses in the turn before drawing clear to win by nearly three lengths.
Although impressive in her first race, she improved in her next start to win by six-and-three-quarters lengths against first condition, $62,500 optional claiming fillies at Laurel Park on Sept. 5, again going a mile on the grass.
Ultimate Love is by Curlin out of Tsunami of Love, by Bernardini and is a half-sister to two winners, including Oceans of Love, by More Than Ready—an allowance winner around two turns on the Woodbine turf.
“Curlin will get you dirt. The dam-side is more turf. What I like about this filly is that I think she’s going to be a mile-and-an-eighth, mile-and-a-quarter type of filly,” Trombetta said.
Trombetta also admitted that he may consider the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) for Ultimate Love. Sharing, winner of the 2019 Selima, won that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in her following start.
“Those thoughts crossed my mind as she crossed the finish line,” Trombetta said.
Ultimate Love is the 64th Florida-bred winner of an open black-type stakes in 2025, equaling the number of open stakes victories by Florida-breds in 2024. Later Saturday, Florida-bred Lennilu won the Leinster Hollywood Beach at Gulfstream Park to bring the total to 65.
Return to the September 27 issue of Wire to Wire
