Who better to have on a front-runner than Edwin Maldonado? Answer: No one.
With Maldonado at the reins, Spendthrift Farm's Ruby Nell, despite stumbling at the break, was in complete command throughout as she took Sunday's closing day co-feature at Santa Anita, the $100,000 Autumn Miss (G3), winning by 3¼ lengths over heavily favored Anisette while getting one mile on turf in 1:32.67 and earning her first graded stakes victory.
With four scratches reducing the Autumn Miss to a field of seven sophomore fillies, Ruby Nell had a five-length advantage over 24-1 longshot Justique around the first turn and widened from there, opening up by eight lengths turning for home in a literal cakewalk on trainer Richard Mandella's 73rd birthday.
“She's really gifted, a very good filly,” Mandella said. “…She stumbled leaving the gate today and off terrible, (but) she looked so relaxed. I thought well, maybe he will tuck her right in there and she got a head of steam and when she does, she's pretty strong.”
A winner of the Unzip Me Stakes at about 6½ furlongs down the hillside turf course on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita, Ruby Nell was off as the 5-2 second choice and paid $7.60 for the win.
A daughter of Bolt d'Oro out of the Not For Love mare Rich Love, Ruby Nell, who sold for $1.2 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select (Gulfstream) Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Tom McCrocklin consigned her, has four wins, two seconds, and a third from eight starts. With the winner's cut of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $258,520. She was bred in Kentucky by Solana Beach Sales.
“She is a very versatile filly,” said Maldonado, who notched his second win of the 19-day meet. “When we ran down the hill, naturally, there was a lot more speed than going a mile, so she kind of fell back. … We knew with the today that she was the lone speed but nevertheless, we were trying not to rush anything.
“Wherever she broke, wherever she was, we were happy with. She just won it her way today.”
Anisette was the victim of a lone speed scenario, and although she put in a good run, it wasn't nearly enough. A Grade 1 winner, British-bred Anisette outfinished Breath Away by a half-length for second.
Fractions on the race were :22.61, :45.46, 1:08.67, and 1:20.60.
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