Leading pair Sand and Sea established a 22-length advantage in the first half-mile.
In a peculiarly run $234,500 Keertana Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 25, Atomic Blonde reversed her opponent with a long stretch charge after losing by 2 1/4 lengths to Chop Chop in Keeneland's Bewitch Stakes (G3T) on April 26.
When Sand and Sea, riding with Reylu Gutierrez, took a 22-length lead at the half-mile pole and then raised the white flag and was overtaken by her rivals on the far turn, the race was completely flipped upside down.
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, who settled in last, watched Chop Chop and Vergara, who would finish second and third, respectively, as they began to move forward. They ran fractions of:23.47, :47.01, and 1:11.43.
"The two I was keeping an eye on weren't running away from me," Gaffalione stated. "I got caught back a little bit further than I wanted to, but she was in such a great rhythm I didn't want to call on her too early."
Atomic Blonde, paying $7.64, saved ground on the rail as she raced, changing leads in the stretch and collaring Chop Chop in the final sixteenth to win by a half-length in 2:31.01.
The 5-year-old Grey Gatsby daughter, Keertana, won group 3 in Italy, her first victory in the United States in nine attempts. Owned by Winters Equine, Clement, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Atomic Blonde improves her record to 4-5-4 after 20 runs, bringing in $478,249 in revenue.