08/29/2026
I think the best part of this is the lemon wreath they clearly did a photo shoot with. ❤️🍋🏇❤️
Royalty! Wow!
As we review all the entries for the inaugural Miss Mareworthy Pageant, we continue to be humbled not only by the number of mares who entered, but by the remarkable lives and stories represented among them.
We have already shared our excitement about seeing more recent racing stars such as Goodnight Olive, Caravel, and Candy Raid among the contestants. Then we saw another name that stopped us in our tracks: Lemons Forever.
If you do not know her story, Lemons Forever pulled off the biggest upset in Kentucky Oaks history when she came from last to first to win the 2006 running at odds of nearly 48-1. But her legacy did not end when she left the racetrack.
Lemons Forever became an extraordinary broodmare. Her 10 registered foals include two Grade 1 winners: Unbridled Forever, winner of the Ballerina Stakes and third in the 2014 Kentucky Oaks, and Forever Unbridled, who earned more than $3.4 million, won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and was named that year’s Eclipse Award-winning Champion Older Dirt Female. Together, Lemons Forever’s registered progeny have earned more than $4.5 million, and she was named the 2017 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.
Now 23 years old, Lemons Forever is retired and spending her days in a field with her two best friends. When asked to tell us how she embodies resilience, this was her response:
“I stepped on the track at Churchill Downs in May of 2006. The race was called the Kentucky Oaks. No spotlight or special interviews, but I did not care about that anyway. The bettors decided I was not really a contender, and it showed on the tote board at 47-1.
I came to do what I loved. I did what I was asked to do. I came to do what I was bred for: race.
From last to first, I WON.
I went on to be a broodmare and had some awesome babies. I loved them all and raised them with pride and accomplishment, even a Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Eclipse Award winner with Forever Unbridled in 2017. I received a big sign in 2017 for being Broodmare of the Year.
I’m retired now and spend my days in a field with my two best friends. Even though my health is a bit challenged, every day is a pleasure.
I am Resilient!
I am Loved!
I am Cherished!
I am LEMONS FOREVER!”
This is exactly why we created Miss Mareworthy: to celebrate the full lives of Thoroughbred mares and remind the world that their stories, their value, and their legacies extend far beyond any single chapter.
We are incredibly honored to have Lemons Forever among our inaugural contestants.
Public voting opens Tuesday, September 1. We cannot wait for you to meet her and every mare who entered.
