“It’s not very often that a Pennsylvania-bred wins a Grade 1 stake and is a favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race,” said Richie Donworth of Scarteen Stud in central Kentucky. “I was fortunate to board Emphatic for her breeder, Jon Marshall. “She was born in Pennsylvania at Shirley Lojeski’s farm in Emmaus, PA, and shipped to my farm where she spent about thirteen months until she shipped to another farm to be prepped for the Keeneland Yearling Sale. She arrived here when she was about three weeks old. She was not a typical Nyquist. They are usually plain horses, but Emphatic was pretty and had a nice star. Jon Marshall is one of the best people to work with in this business. He takes the good with the bad. He is a proponent of the Pennsylvania breeder’s program, and supported it for many years. We boarded mares for him, and sent them to Shirley Lojeski’s farm to foal.
“We foaled Emphatic here along with about eight or so mares belonging to Jon Marshall,” said Lojeski. “Emphatic is by Nyquist out of Convinced, and we foaled five in a row here out of Convinced, but some were by different sires.” Lojeski explained. “Jon cut back now and is foaling his mares in Kentucky. The mares didn’t stay long, they were here today, and gone tomorrow. Emphatic had an easy birth though, and she didn’t have any problems.”
Emphatic sold at the 2025 Keeneland September Yearling sale for $260,000 to Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the filly made her two-year old debut at Colonial Downs in a maiden special race, winning impressively by six-and-three-quarter lengths. She stepped up to stakes competition in her second start and won the one-mile Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park by five-and-one-quarter lengths. Her third start was the mile-and-one-sixteenth Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland which she won by one-and-a-half lengths and defeated Grade 1 winner Summer Starlet.
True to her name, Emphatic scored three emphatic victories in her short career and earned a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Race at Keeneland on October 30, 2026. The Darley Alcibiades Stakes is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, Win and You’re In, event that entitles the winner to an automatic-fees paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies race. The win also distributes points toward qualification in the 2027 Kentucky Oaks. The undefeated filly also earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure when she won the Darley Alcibiades gate to wire.
Emphatic is by top sire Nyquist out of Convincing by Tiznow, Convincing was bought for $85,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale for Texan, Jon Marshall. Jon Marshall’s connection to Pennsylvania traces back to Parx trainer, John Servis who trained graded stakes winner, Tricky Escape, for Marshall. Emphatic’s Pennsylvania-bred three-year old full sister, Wesawtaylorinparis is entered in Fasig-Tipton’s “A Night of Stars” sale in Kentucky on November second, and is selling as a broodmare prospect.
“These are exciting times for anyone associated with Emphatic. I know Jon’s excited. I texted him after her Alcibiades win, and he’s excited to have bred a Grade 1 winner and a horse in the Breeders’ Cup. I texted Shirley too, and she thinks this is the first Grade 1 winner she foaled. These events and connections are a great boost for small farms,” said Richie Donworth. “Also, for the sale of Wesawtaylorinparis, she is a full-sister to a Grade 1 winner, and she could be a full-sister to a Breeders’ Cup winner. This is an exciting Fall for PA-breds.”
