Back on turf, long-fused Queen Goddess unfurled an impressive turn of foot the final three-sixteenths of a mile to defeat heavily favored Going to Vegas by 1 ½ lengths in Saturday's Grade 3, $125,000 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Queen Goddess got 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 1:59.72.
Breaking from the bottom of the Santa Anita hillside turf course, longshot Quiet Secretary, as expected, shot to an uncontested early lead with Queen Goddess about six lengths back in second turning up the backside. Queen Goddess, who came off a fifth-place finish going 1 1/16 miles on dirt at Oaklawn Park Feb. 12, cut the margin to three lengths at the three-furlong pole and when Espinoza called upon her, she kicked clear turning for home and was never threatened by defending champ Going to Vegas.
“She's exceptional at these added furlong races,” said McCarthy. “Her race in the American Oaks here (Grade 1, 1 ¼ miles originally scheduled for turf Dec. 26) was very good on a drying out, wet fast surface. I just think in these stamina-laden races, she'll be quite effective all year long in these types of spots.
“We gotta get through the summer first, but you know, you start thinking about a filly that handles the 10 furlongs like this, you'd have to be thinking about it (the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland in November).”
Off at 7-1 in a field of eight older fillies and mares, Queen Goddess paid $16.60, $5.60 and $3.60.
“We were very comfortable,” said Espinoza. “Nice and relaxed, she was doing it so easily. I was getting a little bit excited. I knew that she was going to have plenty until the end, and they were going to have a hard time catching me. Sure enough, she ran really hard…This is the second time I rode her, I worked her (on March 19) and I was really impressed the way she worked.
“I was really happy to go in this race. I know that she would be challenged with the distance, but I think it was a bit better for her and she proved that she is great.”
Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and TOLO Thoroughbreds, LLC, Queen Goddess, a 4-year-old filly by Empire Maker out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Royal Story, is now a graded stakes winner on both dirt and turf. With the winner's share of $75,000, she increased her earnings to $385,580 and improved her overall mark to 8-4-1-1.
For her part, Going to Vegas stalked in third position early, was second, a length behind the winner turning for home while inside, and ran evenly to the wire. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli for Richard Baltas, Going to Vegas was off at even money and paid $2.80 and $2.20 while finishing a nose in front of late running Neige Blanche.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Neige Blanche found her best stride late while just missing second money. Off at 7-1, she paid $3.80 to show while finishing a neck better than Closing Remarks.
Fractions on the Santa Ana were 24.17, 47.84, 1:12.06 and 1:36.36.
UCLA head football coach Chip Kelly presented the Santa Ana trophy. “Spring training actually starts on Tuesday, so we wanted to get out here and see Santa Anita,” he said. “We have never been here before and what a beautiful racetrack…We are excited. I think the PAC-12 is starting to make a comeback here and so I think everyone is excited to get back into spring ball and seeing what our team will look like next year.”
Racing resumes with first post time for a nine-race card on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The post Queen Goddess Upsets Going To Vegas In Santa Ana appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Unbeaten champion filly Echo Zulu was nothing short of perfection Saturday in her season bow when leading nearly all the way and then fending off a determined challenge to win $400,000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) by a nose.
The 1-9 favorite, Echo Zulu won her four previous career starts by a combined 22 lengths and showed her grit down the long Fair Grounds stretch to turn back hard-trying Hidden Connection and score by the slimmest margin. Favor was up for third.
Echo Zulu, with Joel Rosario aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen, finished 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.69 for her fifth win from as many starts.
The Fair Grounds Oaks serves as a major prep for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 6 and rewards points on a 100-40-20-10 scale. Echo Zulu came into the Fair Grounds Oaks with 30 points earned in her wins in the Frizette Stakes (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She tops the Oaks leaderboard with 130 points.
Updated Kentucky Derby/Oaks leaderboard
Since making her debut last summer at Saratoga, the Gun Runner filly has never disappointed owners L & N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds, the latter winning the next race on the Fair Grounds card, the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) with Epicenter. Her undefeated juvenile campaign included a trio of Grade 1 wins, capped by Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, in which Hidden Connection was fourth.
“She barely made the race and barely won the race, right?” Asmussen said. “I can't say enough about how proud I am. Her 2-year-old season, three grade one wins asked a lot of her. We gave her a very necessary break. She came back in looking well and she proved narrowly best today. It was a very emotional win because of how much the filly means to us. It was a beautiful win with her at the Fair Grounds. The surface got her in this position. We will head to Churchill to prepare for the next one (Kentucky Oaks) on Monday.”
Rosario said she got a little tired.
“But she got the job done,” he said. “She's a tremendous horse. She's a fighter and she likes to run.”
Bret Calhoun, trainer of Hidden Connection, said: “Tip your hat to Echo Zulu, she was coming off a layoff and I thought we had a little advantage on her. I was hoping she'd have to deal with a little more pace pressure than what she did. I thought (jockey) Reylu (Gutierrez) was forced to move a little early and wide (on Hidden Connection) to give her a chance to win. And she did everything but win.”
“Obviously today was the day to catch her (Echo Zulu) and I think she will move way forward from here. We just got to regroup, get with the ownership group and find out which direction we are going to go.”
The post Echo Zulu Prevails In Tight Fair Grounds Oaks Finish appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
On the same day in which Japanese horses won five races in Dubai, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and Eclipse Award-winning jockey Joel Rosario teamed to win five races themselves March 26 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, capped by the $1 million Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derb
