After a couple of problematic trips that resulted in her only two unplaced efforts, Fatale Bere was overlooked compared to the in-form Paved in Saturday’s $151,035 Providencia (G3) at Santa Anita. But with Paved coming up surprisingly flat, and Fatale Bere at last enjoying a good passage, the 7-1 shot upset the 7-5 favorite.
Trained by Leonard Powell, the French import made an immediate splash in the Surfer Girl in her U.S. debut. Fatale Bere overcame a slow start by rallying furiously from well back to get up in time, earning a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). An impossibly wide trip turning for home proved costly, however, and she did well to go down by only 2 1/2 lengths in fifth. Next time in the Jimmy Durante (G3), Fatale Bere rushed up wide from post 12 to set the pace, but faded to eighth.
In the Providencia, new rider Joel Rosario engineered a favorable trip from just off the pace. As the 9-5 second choice Ms Bad Behavior carved out splits of :23.75, :47.78, and 1:12.34 on the firm turf, Paved tracked her and appeared poised to strike at will. Yet the favorite could not pick up swinging into the stretch, and that left Ms. Bad Behavior free and clear.
Then Fatale Bere angled out to offer her challenge and quickened smartly to blow past the leader. Reeling off a final furlong in :11.25, according to Trakus, Fatale Bere won going away by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:47.48 for 1 1/8 miles.
Ms Bad Behavior was 2 1/4 lengths clear of a one-paced Paved back in third. Pulpit Rider, Lexington Grace, Treasuring, Retro, and Deep Breath rounded out the order under the wire.
Campaigned by the Benowitz Family Trust, Head of Plains Partners, Mark Mathiesen, and Mathilde Powell, Fatale Bere sports a mark of 7-4-0-1, $212,630. She won her first two starts in the French provinces, followed by a third in the Criterium de l’Ouest to Mission Impassible, the subsequent third in the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) on Arc Day. Criterium de l’Ouest runner-up Altea went on to place second in the Prix des Reservoirs (G3), and just missed as the Florida Oaks (G3) third in her stateside premiere for Chad Brown.
Fatale Bere was bred by SNC Regnier and San Gabriel Inv. Inc. From the first crop of Group 1-winning juvenile Pedro the Great, the Henrythenavigator half-brother to Footstepsinthesand, she is out of the winning Saumarez mare Mofa Bere. Further back, this is the family of Grade 1 hero Golden Act.
Quotes from Santa Anita
Trainer Leonard Powell: “The key was the first part of the race. Joel did a great job by getting her to relax and when she’s like that she’s got a huge turn of foot.”
Jockey Joel Rosario: “Leonard just told me to just let the horse relax. Those were my only instructions. I just found a good spot, had (her) relax and let the horse do the rest. (She) started to pick it up on the turn and had a great burst of speed to overtake the other two. It’s nice to be back home. This is where I started and I’m just thankful for the opportunity to return with a chance to win.”
Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux on runner-up Ms Bad Behavior: “She ran through the wind – I don’t know how this horse beat me. True congratulations to the winner, because I was flying. I’d like to know what the Trakus numbers were the last quarter. I guarantee you I was doing 23 – she had to run 22 and change. That’s hard to beat. Congratulations to the winner, because I was rolling.”
Jockey Drayden Van Dyke on Paved, third as the favorite: “I wish we could’ve been covered up, but on paper, it looked like we’d be a little closer. She was in relaxed-chase mode and she ran OK, but she’s better off when she can get back off the pace.”
