NEWS
Gabby’s Golden Gal shines in Santa Monica Handicap
Posted: Sunday, January 31, 2010 7:17 PM
GABBY'S GOLDEN GAL
Benoit & Associates photo
To view the Santa Monica Handicap, click here.
by Mike Curry
Trainer Bob Baffert knew Gabby’s Golden Gal was a better filly than she had shown in her two previous starts, and she rewarded his confidence on Sunday with a 1 1/4 -length victory in the $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
Arnold Zetcher’s homebred Medaglia d’Oro filly faded in her previous start after contesting a blistering pace as the 2.70-to-1 favorite in the La Brea Stakes (G1) on December 26 at Santa Anita Park. The La Brea was her first race since a disappointing ninth-place finish in the Prioress Stakes (G1) in July at Belmont Park, so when Gabby’s Golden Gal moved into the starting gate for the Santa Monica she was overlooked at 11.60-to-1 odds despite a Grade 1 win on her résumé.
“She just needed the race. I thought she was training well enough to win it, but she just laid an egg that day,” Baffert said of the La Brea. “She’s a great filly; she can really, really run.
“This filly has always shown me signs of greatness, like Indian Blessing. That's why we were just baffled after the La Brea.”
Making her four-year-old debut in the seven-furlong Santa Monica, Gabby’s Golden Gal stalked a more moderate pace set by Czechers and Free Flying Soul through a half-mile in :46.31. When jockey Martin Garcia roused Gabby’s Golden Gal in the stretch, she responded with a burst of speed to take charge. Proviso (GB) unleashed a powerful late rally but could not reel in the winner, who covered the distance in 1:21.25 on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
Gabby’s Golden Gal, winner of the Acorn Stakes (G1) and Sunland Park Oaks at three, improved to four wins in nine starts and boosted her bankroll to $499,405. She is out of the multiple stakes-winning Ashkalani mare Gabriellina Giof (GB).
French Group 3 winner Proviso, who finished first in the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) in October at Keeneland Race Course but was disqualified and placed second for interference in the stretch, came up just short in her bid for an elusive win at the top level. She entered off a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) on November 6, when she led in early stretch before fading late.
Free Flying Soul was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third in the 11-horse field. Grade 1 winners Evita Argentina and Diamondrella (GB) finished seventh and tenth, respectively.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
