Ms Peintour Scores First Stakes Win in Astra
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Ms Peintour leads the Astra field to the finish at Santa Anita Park
Jay Emm Ess Stable's Ms Peintour scored her first stakes win Jan.19 when she pulled away in the stretch to take the $101,000 Astra Stakes (G3T) for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita Park.
After stalking the pace throughout the 1 1/2-mile turf test, the 5-year-old Paynter mare trained by Brian Koriner took over near the top of the stretch under jockey Brice Blanc to gallop away from the chasing Tiny Tina and score by two lengths.
"She's always loped out strong. She doesn't have that turn of foot, but she's acted like she wants to go and go," Koriner said. "We thought if Brice could get the jump on them today, we wouldn't have horses finishing like they do at the shorter distances. She ran a really big race today, and I told (Samantha Siegel of Jay Emm Ess Stable) that even though we've had offers on her as a broodmare, let's try her in a few more (races), and it worked out."
The Richard Baltas-trained Lostintranzlation led through most of the going after breaking from the rail. Under a snug hold with her ears up, she set splits of :24.48, :48.20, and 1:12.96 for six furlongs, with Tiny Tina, Ms Peintour, and Heathers Grey in a tight bunch just behind her.
As a mile went in 1:36.95, there was little change to the order, but at the top of the final turn, runners began to gear up, and Lostintrazlation had to work a bit harder to maintain the lead. By the time the field hit the top of the stretch, Ms Peintour had found her best stride to the outside and was able to inch by at first, but then unleashed to finish in 2:26.71 on firm turf.
Tiny Tina, the 7-5 favorite, finished one length ahead of Siberian Iris for second. The winner returned $28.40, $9.60, and $4. Tiny Tina paid $3 and $2.20 to place, and Siberian Iris returned $2.40 to show.
"After her last race, I told Brian, 'I think she wants to run further,'" Blanc said. "She stays very steady, and even though she doesn't have big turn of foot, she keeps trying. This race came up at a mile and one half, and it was perfect. I'm very happy to be right, and I'm glad to have this opportunity with Brian and Samantha."
Ms Peintour finished seventh last time out in the Dec. 28 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) at the Southern California track and had not won a race since April 2018, when she scored a 2 1/4-length win in a one-mile turf test at Santa Anita. She is the first stakes winner for her dam, the stakes-winning Dynaformer mare Dyna's Destiny.
"The big excuse is that she hates that turf down at Del Mar. She just won't pick up her feet on it at all, no matter how good she trains," Siegel said. "She likes the track at Los Alamitos, so Brian trains her there, keeps her quiet, and ships her over when she runs. Brice said she might really like a mile and a half so she can get to relax. The plan came together, and it actually worked.
"At about the half-mile pole, I was like, 'OK, it's time to go.' She moved up on the turn like she did last time (Dec. 28), but she had a little more in the tank today and once she got moving, it was home free."
Ms Peintour has a record of 3-1-2 from 13 starts and earnings of $166,534.