Green Lantern Stables’ GOTTA HAVE HER (Royal Academy) ran down the
front-running Lethal Heat (Unusual Heat) to score by a neck in Wednesday’s
closing-day feature at Del Mar, the $200,000
Palomar
H. (G2). With Tyler Baze aboard, the Jenine Sahadi-trained mare save ground
until the lane, came out in upper stretch and just got up to stop the clock in
1:40 3/5 over the firm turf.
Sent off the near 7-2 second choice, Gotta Have Her paid $8.80, $4.60 and
$2.60 while keying $1 exotics worth $24.20 (exacta), $59 (trifecta) and $233.30
(6-2-10-3 superfecta). Lethal Heat, who led the way through splits of :24 2/5,
:48 4/5, 1:12 and 1:34 3/5, was game in defeat, returning $5.60 and $3.80 at
6-1. It was another three-quarters of a length back to even-money favorite
Carribean Sunset (Ire) (Danehill), who gave back $2.40 for holding third by
three parts of a length over Wild Promises (Wild Event).
Meydan Princess (Ire) (Choisir), Dawn After Dawn (Successful Appeal), Bel Air
Sizzle (Unusual Heat) and Missit (Ire) (Orpen) completed the order under the
wire after Flashover (Unusual Heat) and Allicansayis Wow (Street Cry [Ire]) were
both withdrawn.
Gotta Have Her now sports a mark of 22-7-6-3, $630,608. Successful in the
Harold C. Ramser Sr. H. as a sophomore, the five-year-old bay missed by a mere
half-length in last year’s Palomar and the Tuzla H. (G3) while making her 2009
bow. She captured the Las Cienegas H. (G3) in mid-April, then returned off a
two-month break to place in the Redondo Beach S., Royal Heroine Mile S. (G2) and
John C. Mabee S. (G1) in her past three. Gotta Have Her has also placed in the
Dahlia H. (G2), Providencia S. (G3) and China Doll S. during her career.
Bred by Nursery Place and Robert T. Manfuso in Kentucky, Gotta Have Her went
to her current owners for $300,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. She is out
of the unraced Rahy mare Winnowing, making her a half-sister to the multiple
stakes-placed Haka Girl (War Chant) and a 2009 filly by Hard Spun. Winnowing is
herself a half-sister to Grade 2 heroine Lady Blessington (Fr) (Baillamont),
French Group 3 victor Lowell (General Holme) and multiple stakes queen Red Cat
(Storm Cat).
This is the same family as 1964 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. hero
Nasram (*Nasrullah) and 1962 Irish Derby winner Tambourine (*Princequillo).