Wishing Gate flies home for Autumn Miss score

Last updated: 10/26/13 9:19 PM

Wishing Gate was an easy winner of the Autumn Miss under Gary Stevens

(Benoit Photos)

Glen Hill Farm's homebred Wishing Gate easily proved best in Saturday's Grade

3, $101,500

Autumn Miss at Santa Anita Park, powering to the wire a

1 1/4-length winner

under jockey Gary Stevens. The sophomore daughter of Indian Charlie ran a mile

in 1:34 3/5 over the firm turf to return $4.80 for the win as the 7-5 favorite.

Wishing Gate had a bit of a bumpy start before settling into a wide spot rounding the first

turn and down the backstretch as Journey On gunned to the front out of the gate

to set the pace in splits of :23 2/5 and :48. Need You Now and a tugging

Caraquista kept the leader in their sights early on before the latter began

fading.

Wishing Gate was just winding up for her run and put in her move entering the

final turn. The bay miss circled the game Journey On and Need You Know, who had

stuck her head in front through six furlongs in 1:11 3/5, but

those two refused to quit. Unfortunately for them, Wishing Gate was in a class

of her own as she began pulling away nearing the wire.

"I hit the side of the

gate pretty hard leaving there," Stevens explained. "I rarely hear the announcer

going into the first turn, but I think I heard Trevor

(Denman) say 'they're flying up front' or 'good pace up front' and I'm thinkin',

'no they're not!' since I had her (well in hand.)

"Julien (Leparoux on Need You Now) looked over at about the

five-sixteenths pole and did a double-take and I just had a

smile on my face. Once we got out of the first turn I was

pretty confident; she gives you that feeling throughout the

race. She's got a nice turn of foot.

"She's a good filly, real push-button. I can put her where I

want. She was real 'light-mouthed' before and they've

changed some equipment, and she's training well, she's a

real good filly."

Wishing Gate's win in the Autumn Miss boosted her career earnings to $305,344

and her mark now stands at 10-4-3-0. She was hard to pull up after the finish, taking off again when fellow

Tom Proctor

trainee Include the Aussie came up to her on the gallop out and dragging Stevens

along for the ride.

"She

kind of blew everything (getting off a bit slowly) because

we were going to kind of send her a little bit and then she

broke a tad slow," Proctor remarked. "Gary said,

'Well, I'm going to kind of

leave there running,' and then when she gets off a tad slow

it kind of screws everything up, but that's OK."

Journey On, who just captured a state-bred optional claimer over course and

distance on October 13, finished second while Charlie Em came running late to

take third over Need You Now by a head.

"I was going straight

to the front with the post position we had," said Journey

On's rider, Martin Pedroza. "I was going to

go get an ice cream for a minute, I was so far out.

"I had to

break the way I did, since the turn is right there. If I

didn't do that I would be 11-wide. I used her a little

earlier than I wanted to but I had to, and she handled it

well. She's a good filly, especially considering she came

back just 13 days ago."

Oscar Party, Include the Aussie, Flashy Ways, Wittgenstein, Heir Kitty, Miss

Empire and Caraquista completed the order under the wire after the scratch of

also-eligibles Becky Lou and Ighraa.

Wishing Gate has become a force to be reckoned with in California

(Benoit Photos)

Despite all four of her career wins now coming at a mile,

Wishing Gate has proven her mettle at longer distances as well. She was a

fast-closing second in the 1 1/8-mile Del Mar Oaks last out, missing by only

three parts of a length after running near the rear of that field up until the

stretch.

The bay miss captured the one-mile San Clemente to earn her first stakes

victory prior to the Del Mar Oaks, and is likely to stay at that distance for

the time being. Proctor, who also trained her dam, mentioned Hollywood Park's

Grade 1, $250,000 Matriarch going eight furlongs as Wishing Gate's probable next

start on December 1.

"We're kind of looking at that," Proctor commented about the Matriarch before

adding, "Since I brought her to California she's been a really nice filly. Her

mother was a nice mare."

The Florida-bred filly is the first runner produced by Glen Hill's multiple

Grade 3 heroine Rich in Spirit, who won stakes in three straight seasons. The

11-year-old mare took the 2004 John Franks Juvenile Fillies Turf before earning

Grade 3 laurels in the 2005 Regret and 2006 Locust Grove. The daughter of

Repriced placed in seven other stakes, including the Mint Julep, Modesty and

Virginia Oaks, and retired with a mark of 26-7-5-3, $606,066.

Wishing Gate's fourth dam, 1987 Beverly D. heroine Dancing on a Cloud, is a

half-sister to Canadian champion Kamar, Grade 1 star Love Smitten and Grade 3

winner Stellarette, all influential matrons.

Kamar, the 1990 Broodmare of the Year, is responsible for Canadian champion

Key to the Moon, multiple Grade 1 queen Gorgeous and Grade 1 winner Seaside

Attraction, and her extended tribe includes such champions as Fantastic Light

and Golden Attraction. Love Smitten produced multiple highweight Swain, while

Stellarette is the ancestress of successful sire Northern Afleet.

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