In the midst of a four-day riding suspension, Umberto Rispoli had but one mount on Sunday at Santa Anita and he made it count. In a furious stretch drive aboard the 9-5 favorite Quick, he held off her stablemate Hermaphrodite and Joel Rosario by a nose, giving Hronis Racing, LLC and John Sadler a one-two finish in the marathon Grade 3, $100,000 Astra Stakes. Rispoli was eligible to compete during his suspension as it is a designated race by the California Horse Racing Board.
With a hillside start, the Astra, at a mile and one half on turf, was run in 2:27.71.
In-hand while a joint third outside of her stablemate as the field came out of the clubhouse turn for its run up the backside, Quick was about two lengths off pacesetter Aunt Lubie. At the 3 ½-furlong mark, Rispoli stepped on the gas and was three-wide turning for home outside Aunt Lubie and Carpe Vinum. From there, English-bred Quick gained the advantage, while French-bred Hermaphrodite had to wait for room at the rail.
This proved the difference, as Quick survived by a diminishing nose right on the money.
“Pace was not that fast, so I had to make a decision to move,” said Rispoli, who is now tied with Rosario with a meet-leading four stakes wins through 12 racing days. “I knew where I sat and I know her, she could go through. She's a galloper, when she moved again, I got lucky it was by the wire. Sometimes you need luck in these things.
“…It's always a pleasure, it's probably not nice for him to hear it, but it's always a pleasure to beat a jockey like (Rosario). He's so respectful, so nice. I asked him after the wire, 'Did you get me?' because my head was down, and I was just focusing to try to win the race. He said 'No, no, you got it.'”
A solid third going a mile and three eighths on turf in the G3 Red Carpet Handicap at Del Mar Nov. 26, Quick, a 5-year-old mare by Olympic Glory, broke through the starting gate prior to the break but she remained the favorite in a field of nine older fillies and mares, returning $5.80, $3.60 and $2.80.
“She got the trip she needed today,” said Juan Leyva, assistant to Sadler. “She got to relax, not be on the front end. She settled well and got a perfect trip. I think our other filly (runner-up Hermaphrodite) might have been a little better, but it worked out great, we ran one-two.”
In garnering her first graded stakes win, Quick, who made her US debut here on Feb. 1, 2020, has now won two of her nine starts with Sadler and is 16-4-5-3 overall. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $172,935.
Hermaphrodite saved ground at the rail throughout, but lacked room when it counted, from the quarter pole to the eighth pole, and indeed finished as though she may've been best. The 4-1 second choice, she finished 2 ¼ lengths in front of a late running Altea and paid $4.80 and $3.20.
Ridden by Abel Cedillo, Altea outran Lucky Peridot by a half length and paid $3.80 to show.
Fractions on the race were 23.98, 48.25, 1:13.59, 1:39.18 and 2:03.40.
First post time for a nine-race holiday card on Monday is at 12:30 p.m. PT.
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