Potesta edges Eden’s Moon in Hollywood Oaks

Potesta passed her first class test with a determined score over Eden’s Moon (Benoit Photo) Fanticola and Scardino’s Potesta prevailed by a nose following a thrilling stretch battle with Eden’s Moon in Saturday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Hollywood Oaks, stamping herself as potentially a major player in three-year-old filly ranks in her stakes debut. An impressive maiden scorer in her previous outing, the Mike Mitchell-trained daughter of Macho Uno was making only her third lifetime start in the 1 1/16-mile event. “She’s a very special filly,” jockey Joe Talamo said. Potesta recorded a fast-finishing second when making her first start in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Santa Anita March 22. She stretched out to two turns for her aforementioned maiden tally May 3, running away to an 11 1/2-length, wire-to-wire victory over Hollywood’s Cushion Track, and continued to move forward with a top-class performance Saturday. “Where do we send her?” Mitchell joked afterward. “She’s a gigantic filly, but very easy to train. She’s not a gorilla, she’s not hard on herself and she’s so professional in everything she does. A fun horse to train.”

Grade 1 winner Eden’s Moon, the even-money favorite among eight rivals,
showed speed at the start and led the way into the first turn, with Potesta
tracking about a length back in second through an quarter-mile in :23 2/5. Willa
B Awesome made an early move up the inside entering the backstretch to apply
pressure as Eden’s Moon reached the half-mile mark in :47, and Potesta continued
to race up close, only a half-length back in third.

Willa B Awesome checked out in tight quarters entering the far turn, but
Potesta loomed a menacing presence throughout the bend. Eden’s Moon passed the
three-quarters point in 1:11 2/5 with only a head advantage, and Potesta surged
to a narrow lead along the outside in midstretch. Eden’s Moon courageously
fought back, re-rallying to the front in deep stretch, and the two rivals bumped
as they dueled to the wire. Potesta gained the upper hand once again in the
final yards, stopping the teletimer in 1:43 1/5.

“It was all the horse today. Eden’s Moon is a real nice filly so I knew I was
going to need a lot of horse to get by,” Talamo said. “That’s why I waited
longer than I wanted to. I figured it would pay off the last part, which it did.
We just got up. She’s unbelievable.

“(Trainer) Mike (Mitchell) has done an unbelievable job with her. That was
her third career start and she just beat a Grade I winner. When they can get
headed and come back like that, that’s a real nice horse. I really think the
sky’s the limit with her.”

“I thought Joe gave her a million dollar ride,” Mitchell added.

“I thought I was going to win the race,” said Rafael Bejarano, rider of
runner-up Eden’s Moon. “”She tried really hard. That horse who beat me won by 11
1/2 lengths last time. I was waiting for her to come.”

Off as the 7-2 second choice in the wagering, Potesta returned payouts of
$9.80, $4.20 and $3.40. Via Villaggio rallied belatedly for third, 2 1/4 lengths
behind the top two, and it was another 2 1/4-length margin back to Killer Graces
in fourth. Starlight Magic, Willa B Awesome, Open Water and Customer Base
rounded out the official order.

Bred in Kentucky by Maynard Farm and B A Man Inc., Potesta is out
stakes-winning Furiously mare Katzen, who is also the dam of Peruvian Group
1-placed Kabu. This is the female family of multiple stakes queen and Grade 2
runner-up Morris Code, an earner of $745,167; and Grade 2 vixen Enumerating.

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