Persistently earned her first stakes score in fantastic style when the 4-year-old daughter of Smoke Glacken ran down 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra to win the $300,000 Personal Ensign (G1) on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

The Personal Ensign was billed as a match-up between Rachel Alexandra and Life At Ten, who brought a six-race winning streak into the race. And when the five horse field broke from the gate in the 1 1/4-mile race, it looked like the pre-race press was right. Rachel Alexandra and Life At Ten rocketed away from the rest of the group, engaging in their own private duel early. The fractions were solid, and after six furlongs in 1:12.02, Rachel Alexandra began to pull slightly ahead. While Life At Ten faded, Persistently was rolling from some ten lengths off the lead. She cut the lead in half at the quarter pole, and with just a furlong to go, she was still three lengths behind Rachel Alexandra. In the final sixteenth,  Persistently came on determinedly under Alan Garcia to gain the top spot, winning by a length in 2:04.49 over a fast track.

With the presence of the two favorites, the Shug McGaughey-trained Persistently was dismissed at 21-1. The Personal Ensign was her first stakes race since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in 2008. Prior to that, she had run second in both the Frizette S. (G1) and Matron S. (G2) at Belmont Park.

Owned and bred by Phipps Stable, Persistently is now 4-4-4 in 14 career outings. Like many Phipps horses, Persistently comes from a great racing family. Her dam Just Reward was never worse than second in three starts, and has three stakes-winning siblings: multiple Grade 1 winner and millionaire Good Reward; Grade 2 winner Pure Prize; and the listed winner Cosmic. Their dam Heavenly Prize was champion 3-year-old filly and won $1.8 million and eight Grade 1 races.

The final week of August was very good for Smoke Glacken. His runners won at eight different North American racetracks, from 5 furlongs to 1 1/4 miles, on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces. August 29th was particularly good for the Gainesway stallion; besides Persistently, 5-year-old Smokey Fire won the $200,000 Grade 2 Play the King S. at Woodbine, speeding 7 furlongs in 1:20 4/5.