Saturday’s $251,000 John C. Mabee (G2) was supposed to be a showdown between Didia and Anisette, but the Phil D’Amato-trained Hang the Moon jumped up at odds of 20.50-1 at Del Mar. Stablemate Lucky Girl also flashed home late to complete an exacta for the barn, relegating Anisette to third and Didia to fourth.
The 7-10 favorite Didia didn’t inspire a great deal of confidence as she traveled through the race. Initially in a good spot, she dropped farther back in fourth off a modest pace. Given her tactical speed, Didia might have been expected to take up a handier position. Instead, she found herself uncharacteristically toiling trying to make up ground out wide in the lane.
But the 8-5 Anisette was working out her kind of trip. Settled in fifth behind fractions of :24.65, :48.39, and 1:12.85, the closer got a dream run up the rail when pacesetter Royal Charter drifted out. Anisette capitalized on the seam and struck the front, apparently poised to extend her winning streak.
Then the D’Amato duo erupted onto the scene. Hang the Moon, who had been last down the backstretch, followed Anisette’s inside move into the stretch. Stablemate Lucky Girl, likewise at or near the rear throughout, suddenly launched on the far outside.
Hang the Moon, under a heady ride by Kazushi Kimura, burst through between Anisette and Royal Charter. Her ground-saving trip helped Hang the Moon reach the wire a half-length ahead of Lucky Girl.
By covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.50, Hang the Moon earned her first career stakes victory. The Uncle Mo filly was also giving Kimura a graded double, after Tenma in the Del Mar Debutante (G1).
“This is the first time I have gotten to ride her,” Kimura said of Hang the Moon. “But in this race I know who the best horse is, and I tried to finish up strong. Today it seemed best just to follow Anisette, and my filly seemed pretty comfortable throughout.”
Lucky Girl headed Anisette for second. Didia reported home another 1 1/2 lengths away in fourth. Like Anisette, Didia was spotting the rest four pounds as the 124-pound co-highweight, but that wouldn’t in itself account for her lackluster display. Royal Charter retreated to fifth, trailed by Uncorked and Fuente Ovejuna.
Those who saw Hang the Moon’s upside reaped the rewards of a $43 payout. CJ Thoroughbreds’ four-year-old had quite a bit to prove going into the Mabee. Twice stakes-placed, she had been fourth in her only prior tries at the trip, including her lone graded attempt.
Hang the Moon’s main talking point was her scope for improvement on the circuit switch. Originally based with Mike Stidham back East, she placed third in last year’s Hilltop S. at Pimlico. Her sophomore campaign also included fourths in the Allen “Black Cat” LaCombe Memorial at Fair Grounds, the Christina S. at Delaware Park, and the Pucker Up (G3) at Ellis Park.
Hang the Moon already showed progress in her first two starts for D’Amato. Successful in a June 9 allowance at Santa Anita, she was second to the brilliant Ag Bullet in the July 21 Osunitas S. here. The Mabee advanced her scorecard to 11-4-1-1, $307,913.
“She came to me to run in these kind of races,” D’Amato said, “and I thought she just improved from race to race. She ran a really good second to Ag Bullet last time, and Ag Bullet came back and won a million dollar race at Kentucky Downs (the Ladies Turf Sprint [G2] in course-record time), so I think she was a little overlooked here.
“Give a big shout out to KK (Kimura). He got her into a big stride there, saving all the ground for the last quarter-mile. She showed a really nice turn of foot to beat a couple of Grade 1 winners today.”
Bred by Repole Stable in Kentucky, Hang the Moon was purchased for $200,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. Her dam, the Malibu Moon mare Moondance, hails from the family of multiple Grade 1 turf star Beach Patrol as well as Grade 2 vixens Hurricane Bertie and Allamerican Bertie. The latter’s descendant, current American Derby hero Brilliant Berti, runs in Sunday’s Gun Runner S. at Kentucky Downs.
