by Jeff Apel

Jibboom overtook three foes after being angled out in early stretch by jockey Garrett Gomez and earned a half-length win in the $100,000 Monrovia Handicap (G3) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

The 1.70-to-1 favorite in a field of 11 fillies and mares, Jibboom dropped back to fourth behind traffic in early stretch, more than 1 1/2 lengths off the pace. After being blocked in early stretch near the inside rail by pacesetter La Tee, Jibboom seized command after finding racing room on the outside of foes and earned her second career graded stakes win.

A Juddmonte Farms homebred trained by Bobby Frankel, five-year-old Jibboom concluded her 2007 season by earning her first stakes win in the Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland Race Course. She won one of four starts in 2008.

Jibboom tracked La Tee in third in the Monrovia through an opening quarter-mile in :22.50 and half-mile in :44.93. The Mizzen Mast mare dropped back to fourth in the stretch, then unleashed a dominating late kick to win the about 6 1/2-furlong race in 1:13.12 on Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

“It looked like she might be beat,” said Humberto Ascanio, Frankel’s assistant. “I don’t know how this guy [Gomez] found his way through. She was much the best, I guess.”

Christiana’s Heat finished second, a half-length in front of multiple graded stakes winner and third-place finisher Lethal Heat.

Jibboom entered off a win in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on November 2 at Hollywood Park.

The gray or roan mare posted her fourth win in nine starts and increased her earnings to $337,600. Bred in Kentucky, Jibboom is one of two winners from three starters out of the winning Gone West mare Palisade.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor