It was a second stakes victory of the year for WAR FRONT’s Full Count Felicia on Saturday with a victory in the Suwannee River Stakes (G3) to end her 2023 campaign.
The one-mile turf race saw Full Count Felicia settle in midpack just a few lengths off the leader as she raced on the rail. Comfortable in her position, Full Count Felicia didn’t start to make her move until they entered the stretch.
It was at that point that jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. saw an opening on the rail and took it, sending Full Count Felicia through to challenge the leader. She quickly had the lead once she was head-to-head with the other horse and while a second runner came up the outside in search of the win, Full Count Felicia kept that one at bay to win by three quarters of a length.
Trained by Brittany Russell for Gold Square, Full Count Felicia has now won five of 14 starts with three other top three finishes pm her resume.
Full Count Felicia is out of the stakes-placed Galileo mare Claire de Lune. That mare is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Cerulean Sky, who has been a prolific broodmare, and to Irish Oaks (G1) winner Moonstone, who has also been a successful producer.
WAR FRONT’s 12 stakes winners in 2023 include 10 graded stakes winners and 15 graded stakes performers with 11.45% stakes horse to runners this year.