Since winning her debut at Presque Isle Downs last July, Icona Mama has raced creditably against open company across five different states in the east. She returns to Erie, Pa., in Monday’s $75,000 Malvern Rose Stakes, where she is back with statebred 3-year-old fillies in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint.
Icona Mama won her debut sprinting on Presque Isle’s synthetic track, then promptly hit the road. She finished second in Saratoga’s off-the-turf Bolton Landing to Kimchi Cat, who runs Sunday in the Pea Patch at Ellis Park.
Icona Mama was beaten less than a length in the Grade 3 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs by La Cara, who is now a multiple Grade 1 winner. Icona Mama finished fifth in the Grade 1 Frizette in New York, then got back in the winner’s circle when beating statebreds by 9 1/2 lengths in the Shamrock Rose at Penn National.
This year, Icona Mama is winless, although she has exclusively faced open company. During this 2025 campaign, she is stakes-placed at Laurel Park and has two allowance placings against older foes on sloppy tracks at Penn.
The two other stakes winners in this field face questions. Dixieland Belle won the Finest City last October at Presque Isle in her career debut but has been unplaced in all three of her outings since, including against lesser company.
Honorable Win won the Miss Blue Tie Dye Stakes at Parx in her career debut, but then was second in the Finest City, a race in which Boujie Betz – also in this field – was third. Honorable Win will start for the first time since coming back to take the Miss Behaviour in December at Parx.
In addition to coming off the layoff, her Beyer Speed Figures do not come close to the top numbers in the field.
Double Airo was third in the Miss Behaviour, and Up N Runnin was fifth.
Our Lady is the rising upstart. The filly has won both her career starts against open company on Woodbine’s synthetic track, wiring both races by a combined 10 1/2 lengths. She earned Beyers of 85 and 71, respectively, in those two outings.
Icona Mama is the only other member of this field to top 70, posting a 76 in the Bolton Landing, a 70 in the Pocahontas, and a 75 in the Shamrock Rose.
◗ The $100,000 Karl Boyes held at Presque Isle on July 4 should offer clues to sort out Monday’s sixth race, a $34,000 allowance sprint for older horses with several stakes-seasoned runners. Among those is Diamond Dust, who defeated Karl Boyes entrant Ponce de Leon last out.
Diamond Dust is a five-time stakes winner against Ohio-breds. The 9-year-old gelding has changed hands several times, and since coming back to Scooter Davis’s barn, has a third and a win in two recent starts at Presque Isle.
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