Instead of shipping across the country for Saturday’s Ballerina H. (G1) at Saratoga, Sweet Azteca stayed home for Sunday’s $100,500 Rancho Bernardo H. (G3) and outclassed the field at Del Mar.
Trainer Michael McCarthy thereby accomplished his mission of getting in a prep over the track for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), although it might have felt more like a workout than a race for the 1-10 favorite.
Jockey Flavien Prat jetted in from Saratoga for the ride, fresh off his seven-furlong Grade 1 double on Travers Day. Prat guided the victorious Mullikin in the Forego (G1) and Domestic Product in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1), and Sweet Azteca added to his weekend haul.
Aside from sparing Sweet Azteca the travel, the Rancho Bernardo was a far softer spot than the “Win and You’re In” Ballerina, where Society stamped her Breeders’ Cup ticket in grand style. Thus Sweet Azteca’s Sunday stroll didn’t give any new insights into her Filly & Mare Sprint chances. She had so much in hand over her opponents that her top weight of 126 pounds didn’t bridge the gap.
Other than getting bumped at the break, Sweet Azteca was hardly aware of her competition. The gray easily took control through fractions of :22.08 and :45.06. Prat gave her a virtual love tap to ensure that she got enough out of the race, and she responded to open up.
Sweet Azteca was still on the bridle while seven lengths clear at the wire. The Sharp Azteca filly finished the 6 1/2-furlong dash in 1:15.60.
“I wasn’t sure if someone was going to go ahead and try to get in front of her,” McCarthy said. “She was awfully aggressive today. She bounced out of there, and Flavien was wonderful just getting her to settle up the backside.”
“She was just cruising,” Prat said. “No, no special instructions for me. Just ride her.”
A few of Sweet Azteca’s rivals had a more eventful experience. Chismosa and Anywho, the respective second and third in a photo, scrimmaged in deep stretch. The stewards posted the inquiry sign to take a look at their contact before ultimately letting the result stand.
According to track announcer Trevor Denman, the ruling was a majority decision. The head-on replay showed that both parties wandered off a true line. Anywho came out first, arguably more than Chismosa came in, and probably cost herself.
The market had the trifecta pegged. Chismosa was the 6.70-1 second choice, and Anywho ranked as the third choice at 10.60-1.
Irish Wahine was fourth at every call. Tom’s Regret, who wound up fifth, undermined her chances in the opening strides. Veering violently left from her rail post in the chute, she find herself uncharacteristically last early. Tom’s Regret passed only one rival, the trailing Vitalera. Ascendancy was scratched.
Sweet Azteca sports a sterling mark of 6-5-0-1, $481,200. Her lone loss came at the hands of Chismosa in the Jan. 1 Las Flores (G3), but Sweet Azteca was making her stakes debut that day off an eight-month layoff. Flawless ever since, Sweet Azteca crushed a Santa Anita allowance by 12 lengths, wired the March 9 Beholder Mile (G1) over Adare Manor, and set a new track record in the July 6 Great Lady M (G2) at Los Alamitos.
A homebred for Pamela C. Ziebarth, Sweet Azteca is out of the stakes-winning Grand Slam mare So Sweetitiz. As her dam’s name implies, she descends from a full sister to Hall of Famer Tiznow. This is also the family of millionaire sires Paynter and Oxbow, the 2013 Preakness (G1) hero.
