La Luna de Miel blossoms in Orchid

La Luna de Miel is two-for-two in the United States, and three-for-four overall (Adam Coglianese Photography) Rashit Shaykhutdinov’s LA LUNA DE MIEL (Ger) (Monsun) was making only her fourth career start in Sunday’s $150,000 Orchid S. (G3) for older turf distaffers at Gulfstream Park, but belied her inexperience with a well-timed rally beneath John Velazquez. Now three-for-four with $118,319 to her credit, the promising four-year-old has emerged as just the latest force in this division for trainer Graham Motion. Trainer Christophe Clement’s trio swept the minor awards in the Orchid, sharing a three-way photo among them. Endless Expanse (Ire) (Red Ransom), the 6-5 favorite, got up late by a neck from Giants Play (Giant’s Causeway), who was in turn a nose ahead of their stablemate Tarrip (Green Desert). La Luna de Miel was a tracking fourth in the early going, just off the pace established by Queen Martha (Rahy) through splits of :24 3/5 and :48 3/5. She then eased a little farther back as the leader continued to dictate fractions of 1:12 4/5 and 1:37. Giants Play was the first to throw down the gauntlet, surging past the weakening Queen Martha through 1 1/4 miles in 2:01 and remaining clear until midstretch. Luna de Miel, who had been advancing steadily, gained ever greater momentum inside the final furlong. Rolling by Giants Play, La Luna de Miel seized command and crossed the wire a one-length winner in a final time of 2:25 3/5 for 1 1/2 miles on the firm turf. The 8-1 fourth choice returned $19.80, $7.40 and $5.

“It couldn’t have worked out any more perfectly,” Velazquez said. “Early on,
I was between horses a little bit, but was able to get her out of there without
any problem. Around the half-mile pole, I was saving all the ground and was
looking for (Julien) Leparoux’s horse (Endless Expanse), figuring she was the
horse to beat.

“Then I thought (Joe) Bravo’s horse (Giants Play) had gotten away from me,
but when I asked my horse she got there quicker than I expected to. It was all
her today. She ran a great race.”

“We were hoping there would be some speed in the race,” Motion said, “and
that’s the way it developed. John is riding so well and was able to get her
covered up and then come on.”

Endless Expanse had more ground to make up than La Luna de Miel, but finished
willingly to spearhead the Clement placegetters. Giants Play salvaged third from
Tarrip, who was 5 3/4 lengths clear of the rest. Musical Rain (Ire) (Val Royal
[Fr]), Zapparition (Ghostzapper) and Queen Martha rounded out the order of
finish, while Doe Run (Yonaguska) was pulled up on the far turn when she was
having difficulty keeping up with the field.

Initially trained in her native Germany, La Luna de Miel captured her debut
at Hannover last April, but never factored when eighth in the listed
Festa-Rennen at Cologne in June. That turned out to be her final outing for
Andreas Wohler, and her only loss so far. La Luna de Miel made her American bow
for Motion in an entry-level allowance at Gulfstream on February 18, where she
was up on the pace before grinding out a one-length decision.

“She’s bred for the distance with that sire,” Motion said. “She came to us at
Palm Meadows in November.

“David (Rock), my assistant deserves credit for how she’s done here. He’s had
her here all winter,” added Motion, who has supervised the training of his Palm
Meadows string from his Fair Hill, Maryland, headquarters for much of the
winter.

“One reason she was sent over is that there are so many more black-type
opportunities for fillies and mares over here.”

The dark bay, bred by Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof, ranks as the second stakes
winner produced by her dam, the multiple German stakes-placed La Hermana
(Hernando [Fr]). She was preceded by her younger half-sister La Salvita (Big
Shuffle), heroine of last year’s Grosser Preis des Gestut Brummerhof as a
juvenile.

La Luna de Miel’s third dam is German champion La Colorada (Surumu), the dam
of German Horse of the Year and sire Lomitas (GB) (Niniski). La Colorada is
herself a daughter of German champion La Dorada (Kronzeuge), ancestress of
German highweights La Blue (Bluebird), Lomita (Niniski), Lady Marian (Nayef) and
Lavirco (Konigsstuhl).

La Luna de Miel will likely race next in the Bewitch S. (G3) at Keeneland on
April 28.