Ashleyluvssugar repels Brazilian imports in Whittingham

Last updated: 5/24/15 5:56 PM

Ashleyluvssugar (left) nabbed Ganesh (center) and longtime leader Going Somewhere (right) to extend his winning streak to three
(Benoit Photo)

Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stable and Ciaglia Racing’s homebred Ashleyluvssugar
(Game Plan) overpowered a pair of Brazilian imports by Sulamani — Ganesh and
Going Somewhere — to score his second straight graded victory in Sunday’s
$200,000

Charles Whittingham (G2) at Santa Anita. Freshened since his revelation when
stepped up to this 1 1/2-mile trip in the March 21 San Luis Rey (G2), the 1-2
favorite had to overcome a much pokier pace this time to prevail.

Going Somewhere hustled to the front through an opening quarter in :24,
reached the half in :48, but then slowed the tempo down substantially in his
U.S. debut. After clocking leisurely splits of 1:14 1/5 and 1:40 3/5 on the firm
turf, Going Somewhere began to pick up again at the 1 1/4-mile mark in 2:05 2/5,
and tried to kick away in the stretch.

Meanwhile, his compatriot Ganesh had engineered a smart move from last
rounding the far turn. As Ganesh zipped through to his inside, Ashleyluvssugar
had to tap on the brakes briefly, and thereby found himself relegated to last
turning for home. But the Peter Eurton charge soon regrouped and hit his best
stride inside the final furlong. Under Hall of Famer Gary Stevens,
Ashleyluvssugar got up by a half-length and completed 1 1/2 miles in 2:30.

“I think that the track was much slower today,” Eurton noted. “In his last
race they went :45 for the half and today they went in :48 so I don’t know if
it’s a combination of both the track being slower and a lack of pace in there. I
didn’t know what he was going to do so I just left it up to Gary today.”

“It looked like it was going to be messy on paper and it was,” Stevens said.
“There was no real speed in the race and he was very fresh today.

“I wasn’t afraid to put him on the lead if that’s where he wanted to be but
Mike (Smith on Going Somewhere) sent his horse away from there pretty hard and
was intent on getting the lead. ‘Ashley’ got a little rank with me just before
we crossed over the dirt but then he shut down for me and was push button.

“I knew Flavien (Prat on Ganesh) was behind me playing the waiting game and
he chose to go inside of me so I forced him to go clear inside and I wasn’t
ready to move yet. We were too far out and I didn’t want to swing four wide
until we straightened out into the lane and a lot of horses you can’t do that
with.

“He’s so intelligent and he listens to what I want him to do. I got to know
him even better today, it’s only the second time I’ve been on him. He’s a real
warrior and a lot of fun to ride.”

Ganesh, who was making his third start off the layoff, capitalized on his
recency edge to wear down the comebacker Going Somewhere by a half-length.

Smith expects Going Somewhere to move forward off this reappearance.

“He’ll get a lot out of this,” the Hall of Fame rider said. “The plan was to
go to the lead and it worked well. We had a shot to win it and he just got a
little tired at the end. Like I said, he’ll get a lot out of this race.”

There was a gap of 3 3/4 lengths back to the Todd Pletcher shipper Divine
Oath (Broken Vow), and the 30-1 Crucero (Admiral’s Cruise) reported home the
same margin astern in last.

“Ashley” will now try to give Hall of Famer Gary Stevens and trainer Peter Eurton their first San Juan Capistrano score
(Benoit Photo)

Ashleyluvssugar furnished $3 to his backers and now sports a mark of
11-6-0-2, $455,504. The California-bred broke his maiden via disqualification in
his unveiling as a juvenile. Third next time out over Del Mar’s Polytrack in the
2013 I’m Smokin, he was sidelined until the following summer. Ashleyluvssugar
plied his trade in allowance/optional claimers until clearing his second-level
condition here on February 5. That earned his ticket to graded company, and
turned out to be the beginning of a three-race winning streak.

“This is just an amazing feeling,” co-owner/breeder Joe Ciaglia said. “We
knew he’d be a little fresh, with two months off, but Gary’s super smart and he
got him relaxed and had him well-spotted. He had to check there (on the far
turn), but he got outside and from there, we knew we had a chance to win.

“After his last race (the San Luis Rey) we were hoping it wasn’t a fluke…Now
we know he’s for real. We’d like to run in the Breeders’ Cup, but we’ve got a
decision to make. The deadline is June 10 and we’ll have to put up $50,000.”

The four-year-old bay gelding is a half-brother to the multiple stakes-placed
Ashley’s Sassy (Decarchy). Their dam, the Urgent Request mare Ashley’s Folly, is
inbred 3×3 to Caro. Although he has no significant relatives in his immediate
family, under his fourth dam one finds Castle Royale (*Slady Castle), heroine of
the 1982 Sheepshead Bay H. (G2) and second in the Hialeah Turf Cup (G1), as well
as 2010 St Leger (Eng-G1) hero Arctic Cosmos (North Light).

“(Ashley’s Folly) was a pretty darn good mare,” Eurton said, “and everything
she’s foaled has won a maiden special weight and now this is her first graded
stakes winner.”

“Our goal, for me, and I hope it’s the same for everyone is to go in the San
Juan Capistrano ([G3] at about 1 3/4 miles on turf June 28), which has always
been a fun race and I’ve always thought it would be pretty cool to win.”

“I know Pete has never won the San Juan Capistrano,” Stevens said, “and I’ve
never won the San Juan, so hopefully you’ll see us in there at the end of the
meet.”

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