Month: December 2022

Michael Lund Petersen's Faiza prevailed in a stirring stretch battle with runner-up Pride of the Nile and then a stewards inquiry to land the $300,000 Starlet (G1) for 2-year-old fillies Saturday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

A bumping incident involving both the winner and the runner-up and pacesetter Doinitthehardway at the top of the stretch ignited the inquiry, but the final result was unchanged. Doinitthehardway, Faiza's stablemate, faded to fourth and Uncontrollable was up to finish third, 5 1/2 lengths behind Pride of the Nile.

A Kentucky-bred Girvin filly ridden by Flavien Prat, Faiza won by a head completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.49, giving trainer Bob Baffert a ninth victory in the race and sixth consecutively. She returned $3.

Prat had Faiza ideally positioned in third as Doinitthehardway sped out to lead early and set fractions of :23.36, :47,87, and 1:12.86 or six furlongs while Pride of the Nile pressed from second. Faiza uncoiled her winning bid around the turn and took charge soon after the bumping incident at the quarter pole. Pride of the Nile proved a resolute rival and dug in, matching strides down the stretch with Faiza, who gamely prevailed at the wire.

The Starlet is one of the races on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks,” with the winner receiving 10 points toward a berth in the race May 5, 2023, at Churchill Downs.

Faiza, a $725,000 purchase from consignor Paul Sharp at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in May, was supplemented to the Starlet for $10,000 following her 3 ½-lenght debut win Nov. 12 at Del Mar.

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Faiza was produced by the Smart Strike mare Sweet Pistol.

STARLET (G1) STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY FLAVIEN PRAT (Winner, Faiza): “She traveled well the entire way. She switched leads at the head of the stretch and there was a little bumping, but I really didn't feel anything. Both her and (runner-up Pride of the Nile) ran very hard to the wire.''

TRAINER BOB BAFFERT (Winner, Faiza and Fourth, Doinithehardway): ''This place is special to me and especially on the day of the Champion of Champions. I have such great memories and Los Alamitos just means a lot to me. To win this race this many times (six in a row at Los Alamitos and a record nine overall – including three at Hollywood Park) is a tribute to the clientele I have and a great staff that works with me. It's a team effort. (Faiza) has always shown she's a specia filly and she had to be special today to win just off one maiden race. She's still green, but I think she has a big future in front of her. I think she's going to get better with age, but we've loved her from the start and she's by one of the hottest sires (Girvin) going right now.''

The post Faiza Goes From Debut Winner To Grade 1 Victress After Starlet Stretch Battle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jockey Christian Torres swept the many storm clouds aside with a Saturday stakes double at Oaklawn Park, beginning with Jerry Namy's Flash of Mischief, who rebounded from a ninth-place finish in the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) to impressively win Saturday's $150,000 Ring the Bell Stakes.

Two races later, Lovely Ride belied the weather and cruised to a bounce-back victory in $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes by shrugging off an early challenge for the lead to take the one-mile race through a persistent rain and over a sloppy track.

“I was very thankful once he got tipped out,” trainer Karl Broberg said of Flash of Mischief's performance. “It looked like the race was over very quickly after he got him moved out. There were multiple reasons to get him out today. You want to be as far off that fence as you can be. Going into the race, I didn't think we stood a chance because of the way the track was playing, so I'm incredibly impressed with that win.”

Flash of Mischief, 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, was winning his fifth stakes and ninth overall race from 23 starts and has now earned $774,901. He returned $5.00 as the heavy favorite.

The Ring the Bell is named for a program launched last year by the Arkansas HBPA and Oaklawn to raise funds for the Arkansas Thoroughbred Retirement and Rehabilitation Foundation. Every time a horseman donates at least $100 to the Thoroughbred aftercare program, they get to ring a ceremonial bell set up in the winner's circle.

“He's a nice horse,” jockey Cristian Torres said of Flash of Mischief. “We had the perfect trip. Everything I asked, he did it. He showed up.”

Torres showed up right on time an hour later when Lovely Ride did everything according to plan by going right to the lead in the new stakes for fillies and mares around two turns, and shaking off a last-placed performance in an ill-fated stakes attempt in Canada last out.

The 4-year-old Candy Ride filly's front-running score was worth $11.40 when she skipped away from Coach and Will's Secret, giving owners John Holleman, Flying P Stable and Larry Nafe the trophy and putting trainer Robertino Diodoro on the board with a stakes win this season.

“As soon as the entries came out, it didn't matter if they had a Grade 1 horses in there, I was just looking to see if there was any speed in the race,” Diodoro said. “It looked like she could get to the lead, and when the track came up the way it was, it was a no brainer. There was no plan 'B.'”

In contrast, 7-5 favorite Le De Vida could not find any traction when Lovely Ride kicked away and settled for fourth. A power failure just before the start forced the race to be hand-timed. Equibase clockers caught Lovely Ride finishing in 1:39.77.

The post Jockey Torres Gets Stakes Double At Oaklawn With Flash of Mischief In Ring The Bell, Lovely Ride In Mistletoe appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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