Santa Ysabel

Sweet Catomine started her three-year-old campaign off on the right hoof (Benoit Photo)

It was no shocker when Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod’s homebred SWEET CATOMINE
(Storm Cat) prevailed in the rescheduled $108,000
Santa Ysabel S. (G3) at Santa
Anita and proved much the best against these three-year-old
fillies. Bet down heavily by the bettors, the tote board showed odds of 1-9 on
Sweet Catomine, who was coupled with Revealed (Old Trieste).

As the pack broke from the gate, Revealed took the early lead trailed
closely by Island Escape (Petionville). The two battled through fractions of :22
4/5 and :46 1/5, before Sweet Catomine and jockey David Flores, who had been stalking the leaders, took
control of the 1 1/16-mile contest with Pussycat Doll
(Real Quiet) in tow. Sweet Catomine then rattled off splits of 1:10 3/5 and 1:36
4/5 before crossing the wire in 1:43 3/5 to conclude the race.

“I just kind of let her cruise down the lane,” Flores said. “I pushed a
little bit because she started looking around and getting bored. You could see
her picking up her ears. I just tried to get her to work a little bit. She needed
some company. They (Rene Douglas and Pussycat Doll) gave me a little push. I
asked her and she opened up.”

The Julio Canani trainee paid $2.20 and $2.10 for her efforts, leading the
1-5 exacta which paid $2.40 ($1). Pussycat Doll finished strong in second-place
at 9-2 to pay $2.10, but trailed 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner, who was still
pulling away. There was no show betting pool.