St Trinians captures Adoration; filly is ‘Hot’ in Torrey Pines

St Trinians captures Adoration; filly is ‘Hot’ in Torrey
Pines

St Trinians returned to the winner’s circle with Rosario in the irons (Benoit Photos) Daniel Capen and Laura Chavers’ ST TRINIANS (GB) (Piccolo) was last seen getting her picture taken in the winner’s circle after scoring in the 2010 Santa Maria H. (G3). Since then, the bay mare has run against a juggernaut named Zenyatta, faced the boys and been disqualified after crossing under the wire first. On Sunday at Del Mar, the Mike Mitchell pupil put all that behind her with a game half-length victory in the $95,385 Adoration S. under jockey Joel Rosario. St Trinians took up her customary rear-running position as Victoryasecret (Victory Gallop) and Ellafitz (Tiznow) battled it out on the front end through splits of :23 2/5, :47 3/5 and 1:11 4/5. Rosario, who has been absent in St Trinians’ saddle since she captured the Santa Maria, immediately got back in sync with his mount and sent her four wide around the second turn. The pair entered the stretch five wide, but began inching back toward the inside while gunning for the front. St. Trinians hit the lead just strides from the wire, finishing a mile on the Polytrack in 1:35 4/5 to move her record to 19-8-1-4.

Sent off the 4-5 favorite in the seven-distaffer field, the six-year-old mare
returned $3.80, $3.20 and $2.60 to her faithful backers. Downhill Diva (Swiss
Yodeler), the 7-1 fourth pick, just got up to take second by a head over
Victoryasecret, with Grade 2 winner Washington Bridge (Yankee Gentleman) another
1 1/4 lengths back in fourth. Jet Blue Girl (Gimmeawink), Church Camp (Forest
Camp) and Ellafitz completed the order under the wire after It Tiz (Tiznow) was
withdrawn.

St Trinians competed in Great Britain through 2008, then she made the
trans-Atlantic voyage to America and Mitchell’s shedrow. The bay started her
U.S. campaign on a winning note, taking an optional claimer, an allowance, the
Paseana H. and the Santa Maria in succession. She suffered her first loss
stateside when taking on the boys in last year’s Santa Anita H. (G1) before
giving Horse of the Year Zenyatta a big scare when nearly capturing the Vanity
H. (G1).

St Trinians’ huge effort fell just a half-length short in the Vanity and she
wasn’t seen in competition again until reappearing for a title defense in the
Santa Maria on February 12. Third by only three parts of a length on that
occasion, she’s since run fourth in the Santa Margarita Invitational (G1),
Vanity and Clement L. Hirsch H. (G1), with a first-to-fourth via
disqualification in the Milady H. (G2) also thrown in the mix.

St. Trinians is closing in on a half-million in earnings, having now banked
$440,758 with Sunday’s winner’s share.

Great Hot sizzled in the Torrey Pines (Benoit Photos) Earlier on Del Mar’s Sunday program, Coudelaria Jessica Inc.’s homebred GREAT HOT (Brz) (Orientate) posted a three-quarter length victory in the $100,000 Torrey Pines S. with Chantal Sutherland aboard. The A.C. Avila charge wore down 4-5 favorite Sugarinthemorning (Candy Ride [Arg]) to stop the clock in 1:35 4/5 for going a mile on the Polytrack. “I was happy with my position all the way around and she fired when it came time,” Sutherland said. “She’s a really nice filly and A.C. is terrific. He’s one of my favorite horsemen. He told me she was OK on turf, but that she was even better on dirt and that he thought she’d run well today. He didn’t give me any instructions — just said ‘Ride her.'” Great Hot was worth $7.60, $3.20 and $2.60 as the near 3-1 second choice after tracking in third on the backstretch. Sugarinthemorning was just in front pressing the early pace set by Long Lake Krista (Anabaa) and moved up to take command in the stretch, but couldn’t withstand the late run of Great Hot in the shadow of the wire. The favorite was followed under the line by Cathy’s Crunches (West Acre), Long Lake Krista, Love Theway Youare (Arch) and Jelly Cable (Sky Mesa).

“I had a handful there. She was fresh and she really wanted to go,”
jockey Pat Valenzuela said of Sugarinthemorning. “I had a time trying to
get her to settle down. Her first time around two turns and it was a
good race for her. She’ll be better for it next time.”

Great Hot was making her third start during the current Del Mar, having
finished fifth in the San Clemente S. (G2) on July 24 and third in the August 19
Sandy Blue H. The sophomore lass broke her maiden at first asking in her native
Brazil last October before shipping to the United States. She opened her
stateside account with a 2 3/4-length optional claiming tally at Santa Anita
before making her turf debut in the San Clemente.

Returning to the main track here, Great Hot improved her career mark to
5-3-0-1 and more than doubled her lifetime earnings to $111,265.

“First time, she bled on me, second time she got better and this time she got
the job done,” Avila said. “She’s a good filly and she’s better on dirt (than
synthetics). On dirt, she’s for real.”