Completing a big weekend for trainer Bill Mott and jockey Kent Desormeaux, Swettenham Stud’s 4-year-old Irish-bred filly Dress Rehearsal rallied through the stretch to capture the $150,000 Orchid Stakes (G3) Sunday at Gulfstream Park by 2¾ lengths over Aston Hall Stud’s Lamentation.

Desormeaux had Dress Rehearsal rating comfortably off the pace in the early running of the 1½ miles turf test before rallying past Darley Stable’s 3-5 favorite Criticism in midstretch. Criticism had soundly defeated Dress Rehearsal when they met on Feb. 22 in The Very One Stakes (G3), and appeared headed to victory Sunday with a clear lead into the stretch, but tired to third, 1¼ lengths behind the runner-up in the field of six fillies and mares.

A daughter of Galileo, Dress Rehearsal paid $6.20 as the second choice and was timed in 2:29:77 over the ‘good’ ground. Desormeaux and Mott teamed up Saturday with WinStar Farm’s 3-year-old Hold Me Back posting a mild upset in the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes (G2) at Turfway Park.

Winning Jockey Quotes

Kent Desormeaux:

“What you saw was a pretty gritty effort on her part - a lot of heart and determination. She gave me a little kick at the eighth pole and that’s when I knew we were ready to make a move on Edgar (Criticism). It was a hell of a performance by a hell of a horse.”

Winning Assistant Trainer Quote

Ken McCarthy (asst. to Bill Mott):

“She had a lot of trouble in her last race and was the only one running at the favorite (Criticism) at the finish that day. I don’t think she (Criticism) ran quite as good today as she did in the last race (The Very One Stakes).”

Fractions:

23:66, 46:94, 1:11:37, 1:38:01, 2:03:54 & 2:29:27