Street Babe Upsets Mineshaft Handicap

Making just his third career start Feb. 21, Anstu Stables' Street Babe upset the $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap (gr. III) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots .

Sent off at 21-1 in the 10-horse field, Street Babe was in contention from the start under jockey Kerwin Clark, chasing the pace of fellow longshot Mystery Train (17-1), who ran the first half-mile in :46.97 with Nates Mineshaft, the 2012 Mineshaft Handicap winner, pressing in second.

Turning for home, Mystery Train was still in front, but Street Babe was getting closer with each stride and grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch before going on to post the three-quarter length score, running the 1 1/16-mile test in 1:43.58.

"He is a late starter and we still don't know how good he is," winning trainer Michael Dilger said. "It's fun having him around."

Mystery Train easily held off favored Red Rifle for second to complete the $1,102 exacta of the two longshots.

"You're going to see a lot of this horse—he was just playing around," Clark said. "When (Red Rifle) came up on the outside, I thought we were beat, but he cut away. When he got to the front, he was playing around again, or he would have won easily."

Cougar Ridge got up to finish fourth and was followed out by Class Leader, Irish You Well, Majestic Harbor, Fordubai, and Knights Nation, with Nates Mineshaft tiring to last in the field. Both Hard Aces and Quadrivium were early scratches.

Street Babe, who was a $210,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2012 Eastern Fall Yearling Sale, broke his maiden in his debut at Aqueduct Racetrack Nov. 20 before finishing second in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park Dec. 31.

Jockey Rafael Bejarano, who finished third aboard Red Rifle, said early traffic cost the favorite the race.

"I expected to be closer in the race, but (Nates Mineshaft) cut me off and I didn't have anywhere to go, and my horse doesn't like too much dirt in the face," Bejarano said. "I had to wait until the stretch and he was only one-paced."

Street Babe returned $44.80, $25, and $12.60. Mystery Train paid $18.60 and $8.80, while Red Rifle returned $3.20 to show.

Dilger wasn't sure where Street Babe would start next, but mentioned both the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) at the Fair Grounds March 28 and the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic (gr. II) April 18 as possible next starts.

Street Babe was bred in Kentucky by Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and is owned by Anita Subotnick, who races under Anstu Stables. The 4-year-old gelding is by Street Sense  , out of the Richman mare Richbabe.