How consistent was the turf mare In Italian in 2023? She was a nose and a head away from winning four consecutive Grade 1 races in many of the toughest races in the nation for fillies and mares on turf. In Italian’s consistently high level of performance in those races in Kentucky and New York has resulted in her position on the list of finalists for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding turf female for the second consecutive year. :: Full list of 2023 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories Trained by Chad Brown for owner Peter Brant, In Italian had a tough act to follow in 2023. In 2022, she won 4 of 7 starts and earned more than $1.27 million in a season in which she won two Grade 1 races and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland. In Italian, by Dubawi and bred in England by Fairway Thoroughbreds, opened her 5-year-old campaign in 2023 with two authoritative wins in Grade 1 races – by three lengths in the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland in April, and by 3 3/4 lengths in the Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park in June. In the summer and early fall, In Italian ran two more winning races, but was caught each time at the finish by stablemates. In the Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga in mid-July, a race she won in 2022, In Italian was the 3-10 favorite. She set the pace, led by a length on the turn, and was beaten a nose at the finish by 7-1 Whitebeam, also trained by Brown. “It was really tight there, and In Italian ran her heart out,” Brown told New York Racing Association publicity. In Italian did not race again for nearly three months, until the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at a mile on turf at Keeneland. In Italian won the 2022 First Lady by leading throughout and nearly succeeded in the same manner in 2023. She led by 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining, but was unable to hold off the Brant-owned Gina Romantica, who won by a head in an 11-1 upset. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. The 2023 Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf was run at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita. While races at that distance on turf at Santa Anita have a downhill run for more than a furlong, the distance was the longest race of In Italian’s 14-start career. Ridden by Joel Rosario, In Italian set a solid pace and led by a half-length entering the stretch. She carried the advantage into the final furlong before she was caught, eventually, finishing fifth by 2 3/4 lengths behind the British shipper Inspiral. While the loss was the first time In Italian had finished worse than third in her career, the setback did not to diminish an otherwise outstanding season that saw her finish the year with more than $2.19 million in career earnings. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.