Meaning overturns Breeders’ Cup rivals in Las Virgenes

Feb 08, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Meaning wins the Las Virgenes at Santa Anita (Photo by Benoit Photo)

The Michael McCarthy-trained Meaning reframed the Kentucky Oaks (G1) picture in Sunday’s $98,000 Las Virgenes S. at Santa Anita. Fourth behind champion Super Corredora and Explora in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Meaning emphatically turned the tables to earn her first stakes win and 20 Oaks points.

Although Meaning was eligible to improve from the Breeders’ Cup, which marked her stakes and two-turn debut, she also capitalized on a favorable set-up on Sunday. Super Corredora and Explora dueled each other to defeat, while Meaning saved her energy under a well-judged ride by Flavien Prat.

Explora, the 4-5 favorite, appeared determined to avoid a repeat of the Breeders’ Cup, where she let Super Corredora go early and ultimately couldn’t catch her. When Super Corredora showed her trademark speed, Explora hustled up to head her, and the match race was on through fast fractions of :22.57 and :45.98.

Meanwhile, Meaning was watching them from a stalking spot. As she crept closer on the outside, she was traveling better than Super Corredora. By the time Explora clocked six furlongs in 1:10.59, Super Corredora was weakening between them, and she dropped out of contention to last.

Meaning appeared to have more up her sleeve than Explora as they turned for home together, but the favorite tried to battle back. She did not have enough left to fend off the steady momentum of Meaning.

Edging away by 1 1/2 lengths through a slow final furlong in :14.19, Meaning finished the mile in 1:38.39. She returned $7.80 as the 2.90-1 third choice.

“The first quarter-mile was quite fast,” Prat recapped, “and I couldn’t keep up with them (Explora and Super Corredora). When we got to the backside, she (Meaning) came underneath me nicely, and I had a chance to get out. I felt like the two fillies in front of me were going to take a little bit of a breather. Since I was doing it so easily, I wanted to keep her involved. She did the job from there.”

Runner-up Explora, who added 10 more points to her account, continues to top the Oaks leaderboard with 45 points in all.

Bank Shot, the 28-1 longest shot of the quartet, was along for third (six points). Super Corredora received four points for completing the circuit in fourth, and her total of 34 points puts her second in the standings.

Meaning has collected a total of 26 points, including her tally from the Breeders’ Cup, and she moved up into fifth on the leaderboard. A debut winner sprinting at Los Alamitos last September, she has compiled a 3-2-0-0 mark with $187,000 in earnings.

“She’s a stronger filly, more mature,” McCarthy said after the Las Virgenes. “She’s put on a lot of weight here in the last couple of months. It was a big ask going from a maiden at Los Alamitos to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. I gave her some time after the Breeders’ Cup to kind of get her feet underneath her and prepare for something like this.

“The way she did it was pretty impressive, to come back against a Breeders’ Cup winner and another Breeders’ Cup winner and perform like that. It will be interesting to see how they all progress here in the next couple of months.”

Campaigned by Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Meaning was bred by Stonehaven Steadings in Kentucky. She went to her current connections for $440,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.

Meaning is by Hall of Famer Gun Runner, who also sired Friday’s Martha Washington S. winner, Search Party. Interestingly, both Meaning and Search Party are out of Into Mischief mares. Meaning’s dam (mother), Figure of Speech, placed third in the 2019 Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga.