Sneaking Out, at 7-1 odds, upset heavily-favored Bellafina in the Grade 2, $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif., on Saturday.
Owned by breeder KMN Racing LLC and trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Sneaking Out earned her fifth win in her 11th start, but it was the first in a graded event for the 4-year-old California bred daughter of Indian Evening.
Positioned outside pacesetter Artistic Diva by jockey Martin Garcia, Sneaking Out took over inside the final quarter of a mile and prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Bellafina, the 1-2 choice who was seeking her eighth graded win.
Out of the Kitten's Joy mare Maddie's Odyssey, Sneaking Out completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.62 and paid $16.40 and $4.40 as the fourth choice in the field of seven. There was no show wagering.
Bellafina returned $2.20 while finishing two lengths clear of 16-1 shot Amuse. Artistic Diva, Hang a Star, the 4-1 second choice, Zusha and Donut Girl completed the order of finish.
The win was the second in the Great Lady M. for Hollendorfer, who captured the inaugural running in 2014 with another Cal bred – Doinghardtimeagain for owner-breeder Tommy Town Thoroughbreds.
“That was nice,'' said Hollendorfer. “She was laying outside and she got a little breather around the turn and when (Garcia) asked her to go she had a lot left. She finished up really well.
“I thought she could be the speed if she wanted, but we learned at Oaklawn Park that she didn't have to have the lead. She ran a huge race there (April 25) where she got passed, then came back on and won the race.''
Sneaking Out, who has been worse than second only twice, increased her earnings to $431,441.
Racing resumes Sunday at Los Alamitos. Post time for the final day of the Summer Thoroughbred Festival is 1 p.m.
Through six days, Juan Hernandez tops the jockey standings with six wins, one more than Edwin Maldonado, who doubled Saturday. Bob Baffert leads the trainers with four victories.
Apprentice Alexis Centeno, a native of Puerto Rico, earned his first U.S. win with Love Your Life in Saturday's second race.
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