NEWS
Switch upsets Blind Luck in Hollywood Oaks
Posted: Sunday, June 06, 2010 9:08 PM
SWITCH
Benoit & Associates photo
by Steve Bailey
To view the Hollywood Oaks, click here.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Blind Luck was stymied by a slow pace as Switch made a determined charge down the center of the lane to capture the $150,000 Hollywood Oaks (G2) on Sunday at Hollywood Park.
The 1 ¼-length victory was the first stakes triumph for Switch, who won for the first time from five starts this season for trainer John Sadler. The three-year-old Quiet American filly covered 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic Cushion Track surface in 1:44.54 under jockey Martin Garcia, who was a last-minute replacement for scheduled rider Joel Rosario.
“This filly is tactical, so we knew she could get a really good position,” Sadler said. “I looked up at the board and saw :25 and :50 and thought, ‘that's really strange.’ I didn't expect that slow of fractions. She has a really good turn of foot, so I knew we'd get first jump on [Blind Luck].”
Blind Luck, sent off as the 1-to-2 favorite under jockey Rafael Bejarano in the short field of five, entered off back-to-back victories in the Fantasy Stakes (G2) and the Kentucky Oaks (G1) but was unable to overcome the dawdling pace with her typical late run in deep stretch.
"He [Bejarano] could have layed a little closer maybe,” said Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains Blind Luck. “I've got no excuse."
Camille C hustled out of the gate and took the lead, cutting pedestrian fractions of :25.30 for a quarter-mile and :50.11 through a half-mile as Switch stalked from third. Blind Luck chased from her customary position at the back of the pack, waiting patiently to make her devastating run through the stretch.
This time, however, it was Switch who took command in the lane with plenty in the tank to overtake Camille C and hold off hard-charging Blind Luck for the clear victory.
“It's a good thing that my filly decided to relax,” Garcia said. “Earlier in the race, she was a little bit rank. As soon as she relaxed, at that point I knew I wouldn't have any problems. She was in a great position to get the jump on the other filly [Blind Luck]. When I asked her to go, she just took off.”
Camille C held on for third, three-quarters of a length behind Blind Luck.
Switch picked up her second career victory from six starts and boosted her earnings to $189,600. She finished third this year in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) and Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) and entered off a runner-up finish in the Railbird Stakes (G3) on May 9 at Hollywood. Switch is one of four winners from as many starters out of the Grade 3-winning Nicholas mare Antoniette.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
For an Equibase chart, click here.
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: Robert , Louisville, KY on June 11, 2010 at 11:15 PM
You got to love those Quiet American babies. This one made up for the other one that did not run well in the KY Oaks. This filly has a big future ahead of her, and with her pedigree, distance will only be her friend.
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