CT: Maggie’s Girl holds on to win Fancy Buckles
Party Time for Me’s late bid falls just short
Frank Vespe
April 12, 2026
Trainer Tim Grams said earlier this week that Maggie’s Girl was “doing great” heading into Saturday’s $75,000 Fancy Buckles Stakes at Charles Town Races.
Good thing, too. Maggie’s Girl, part of a torrid early pace, had just enough left in the tank to hold off the late bid of Party Time for Me and earn the fourth stakes win of her career. The 4 ½-furlong contest was restricted to West Virginia-bred fillies and mares.
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Maggie’s Girl now has 15 wins from 29 career starts to go with earnings of $420,106. Grams also trained the race’s namesake Fancy Buckles, herself a four-time stakes winner.
“It’s always nice to be able to run in a race that that was named after a filly that you trained, and Fancy Buckles was a nice filly in her time,” Grams said.
Breaking from the sixth of eight occupied stalls – Dixie Yodeler and That’s Just Peachy were scratched – Maggie’s Girl broke alertly to vie outside of three-year-old Priority One and longshot Golden Circles for early supremacy. That trio threw down a 21.90 second opening quarter-mile.
As the field rounded the turn, Party Time for Me was perfectly positioned in fourth under rider Joe Stokes, just a length or so off the leaders and ready to pounce.
Maggie’s Girl and jockey Larry Reynolds disposed of their pace rivals nearing the head of the lane, but, though slow to switch leads, Party Time for Me mounted a serious threat, cutting into the advantage in late stages. In the end, though, Maggie’s Girl held on by a head over Party Time for Me, with Golden Circles 2 ¼ lengths farther back in third. After her early exertions, Priority One faded to seventh.
Running time for the 4 ½ furlongs on a fast track was 52.58 seconds.
Off as the favorite, Maggie’s Girl paid $5.00 to win. The exacta returned $17.40 on a one-dollar wager.
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