NEWS
Elusive Diva surges to convincing win in Maddy Handicap
Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Elusive Diva reaffirmed her affinity for the 6 1/2-furlong downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park with a resounding three-length score in the $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Handicap (G3) on Wednesday, opening day of the 37th Oak Tree meeting.The four-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality surged from the gate under jockey Patrick Valenzuela and into an ideal stalking position behind pacesetter Bella Banissa.
After the field crossed the main track and hit the top of the turf stretch, Valenzuela asked for Elusive Diva's best run and she explosively burst clear.
Elusive Diva repelled a bid from Abounding Truth, opened up a wide advantage in the lane, and cruised to her third win in three starts over the unique turf strip.
"She ran real good, didn't she?" Valenzuela said. "She broke sharp and sat right behind the leader like I planned to do, then overtook them in the stretch."
Chasethegold closed willingly for jockey Garret Gomez to edge Abounding Truth by one length for second.
Elusive Diva, who won the Las Cienegas (G3) and the Wishing Well Handicaps down the hill at Santa Anita, completed the 6 1/2 furlongs over firm turf in 1:11.56. Mark Glatt conditions the bay filly for an ownership group that includes Allen and Susan Branch and John Konecny.
"It was a perfect trip, P. Val did great," Glatt said. "She got an infection in her [right] eye that had her out most of the summer and we don't know how that happened. It formed a deep abscess that couldn't be resolved through antibiotics. We had to have an ophthalmologist do eye surgery to relieve the pressure of the abscess, but it's healed up good."
Elusive Diva has won six of 14 career starts and earned $414,730.
Bred in Kentucky by John Konecny and Doris Konecny, Elusive Diva is out of Taj Aire, by Taj Alriyadh.
Please see chart courtesy of Equibase at
http://www.equibase.com
