Hot Cha Cha draws clear in Queen Elizabeth

Hot Cha Cha burned up the grass at Keeneland (EquiSport Photos) Nelson McMakin’s homebred HOT CHA CHA (Cactus Ridge) rallied along the rail to the lead at the top of the stretch and drew off with stunning ease in Saturday’s $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. (G1), registering a 4 1/2-length upset in her Grade 1 debut. Winner of the Pucker Up S. (G3) at Arlington in her previous outing, the Philip Sims pupil continued her ascension in the three-year-old filly turf ranks when completing the 1 1/8-mile test in 1:53 over Keeneland’s soft turf. Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) broke on top and set a moderate pace in :24 4/5, :51 1/5 and 1:16 4/5, with 3-5 favorite Gozzip Girl (Dynaformer) tracking most of the way in second and Hot Cha Cha stalking closely on the outside. Midway on the far turn, Gozzip Girl went up to engage the pacesetter, who began to drift off the rail approaching the stretch, and Hot Cha Cha took advantage of the opening on the inside. She shot through the gap and quickly opened up on her rivals, passing the one-mile mark in 1:40 4/5 with a two-length lead, and cruised to the wire. “I pulled the trigger a little sooner than I wanted to, but if I didn’t the hole would’ve closed and I’d have never got through,” said jockey James Graham, who was winning his first Grade 1 race. “When I did get though, she exploded all the way to the wire.”

Off as the 8-1 fourth choice among seven rivals, Hot Cha Cha paid $19, $7 and
$3.40. Shared Account, who was exiting a runner-up in the Garden City (G1), held
the place by 1 1/2 lengths and returned $8.20 and $3.80 at 9-1. Grade 1 queen
Gozzip Girl, who paid $2.40 for the show, lacked the necessary finishing kick
but still held third, three parts of a length better than Garden City winner
Miss World (Bernstein), who completed the $1,333.10 superfecta (3-5-4-2) as the
near 4-1 second choice.

“She was in perfect position down the backside,” trainer Tom Albertrani said
of charge, Gozzip Girl. “(Jockey) Kent (Desormeaux) said when he pushed the
button to go on she just didn’t have her closing kick.”

The exacta totaled $147.40, and the trifecta was
$480.40. Lady Shakespeare (Theatrical [Ire]), Hameildaeme (GB) (Storming Home
[GB]) and Blind Date (Not for Love) rounded out the order of finish.

Hot Cha Cha, who finished a nose second when making her turf debut in
Keeneland’s Appalachian S. (G3) in April, is now 5-2-1-1 on the grass. Winner of
the Bourbonette Oaks (G3) over Turfway Park’s Polytrack, the dark bay was a
close third in both the Regret S. (G3) and Arlington Park Oaks (G3) on turf and
missed by only 1 1/2 lengths when fifth in the grassy American One Thousand
Guineas. The three-time graded winner has earned $585,566 from a 11-5-1-2 career
line.

The Kentucky-bred is out of Reduced Sentence (Broad Brush) and has an unnamed
2009 half-brother by Flatter. This is the same female line as Hall of Famer
Inside Information (Private Account); her half-sister, multiple Grade 1 heroine
Educated Risk (Mr. Prospector); and Pennsylvania Derby (G2) and Ohio Derby (G1)
hero Gone Astray (Dixie Union).