Two-year-old filly No Rejoyce broke her maiden in style on Friday, Aug. 23, rolling to a convincing victory in the $50,000 Princess Margaret Stakes at Century Mile to become the first stakes winner for freshman sire Instagrand. In addition to No Rejoyce, Instagrand is also represented this year by stakes-placed Superwolf, who finished second in the $100,000 Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes at Thistledown.
Piloted in the Princess Margaret by Rasheed Hughes, No Rejoyce tracked the early pacesetters from third early in the six-furlong test. She raced along the inside nearing the quarter pole, shot through an opening and cleared her rivals in the lane to score by 1 ¾ lengths at the finish. She stopped the clock in 1:10.81 for owner Coldfront Racing and trainer Alivia Kettleson.
No Rejoyce is produced from the Rock Hard Ten mare Joyce and is a half-sister to four-time winner Wedding Day Kitten, an earner of $120.477. A graduate of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, No Rejoyce was bred in Kentucky by Sally Thomas and Morgan’s Ford Farm.
Instagrand, a dominating son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief, won the 2018 Best Pal S. (G2) at Del Mar by 10 ¼ lengths in just his second career start. Undefeated at two, Instagrand was named a TDN Rising Star after debuting a 10-length maiden special weight winner, running five furlongs in :56 flat and stopping the clock just .32 of a second off the Los Alamitos track record.
A $1.2 million Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale topper after breezing in :10 flat, Instagrand followed up his sensational juvenile season by placing in a pair of key Kentucky Derby preps at three. He placed in the Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct and set the pace in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in his two-turn debut, finishing just behind Roadster and Champion 2-Year-Old and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Game Winner.
First-crop 2-year-olds by Instagrand have proved popular in the auction ring this year. He has been represented by a $250,000 filly now named Troubler who was bought at the OBS March Sale by Deuce Greathouse for Robert Masterson. He had a colt sell for $165,000 to Legacy Racing at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, and a $150,000 filly sold to G. Chris Coleman at the OBS Spring Sale in April.
