After avoiding a fallen horse in early in the Santa Anita stretch, longshot Offlee Naughty completed a last-to-first rally win the $200,000 Charles Whittingham (G2) Saturday at Santa Anita.
The race was marred when Midnight Jostar slipped and fell at the top of the stretch and unseated jockey Kent Desormeaux. The 6-year-old gelding quickly got to his feet and sprinted down the stretch before he was caught by an outrider. Desormeaux, apparently unhurt, walked off the track.
Sent off at 11-1 under John Velazquez while making his season debut, Offlee Naughty won by one length and posted his first stakes victory while covering the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:02.45 on firm turf.
Dicey Mo Charra was second, three-quarters of length in front of third-place finisher Opry. Favorite Gold Phoenix was fourth.
A 5-year-old son of Flashback out of the Offlee Wild mare Acting Naughty, Offlee Naughty is trained by Michael McCarthy for owners James M. and Donna Daniell. He has a 4-1-1 record from 16 career starts and $310,645 in purse earnings. He returned $25.20 for the win.
The bay horse was bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West.
Charles Whittingham Quotes:
JOHN VELAZQUEZ, OFFLEE NAUGHTY, WINNER: “He is showing a lot of talent but still kind of learning. Last couple of races he put it together what he needs to do. He broke a little slow so I waited until the backstretch to let everybody go, and finally picked it up at the three-eighths pole and went back to the inside. At the quarter pole down the stretch, he came running for me.
“I was able to avoid the horse (Midnight Jostar). He came out and I think he just stumbled. I pulled my horse outside and he responded right away.”
JUAN HERNANDEZ, DICEY MO CHARA, 2ND PLACE: “This horse loves the distance and the plan was to stay behind the speed, but then Dicey Mo Chara broke sharp and I decided to let him go. He was traveling well and had a nice pace, but the other horse got me outside. The winner was in the middle of the track and Dicey Mo Chara saw him too late. No excuses today, we'll get them next time.”
FRANKIE DETTORI, OPRY, THIRD PLACE: “My horse ran well. They were just going too slow for my horse.”
TRAINER QUOTES
MICHAEL MCCARTHY, OFFLEE NAUGHTY, WINNER: The fractions were pretty slow early. Johnny made a move at the 4 ½ (furlong pole) to get him in the game and make contact with the pack. He kind of stuck there. I'm not exactly sure what happened at the top of the lane. We were kind of uncorking a run and things got bottled up there for a second. Inside the eighth pole this horse found another gear.”
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