Hoop of Colour Claims Santa Ana Stakes
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Flaxman Holdings' homebred Hoop of Colour captured her second straight victory since moving to Southern California from England with a win in the $200,000 Santa Ana Stakes (gr. IIT) March 15 at Santa Anita Park.
Five weeks after winning by two lengths in her U.S. debut, going 1 1/4 miles in an allowance optional claiming event on the Santa Anita grass Feb. 5, the 4-year-old Distorted Humor filly dialed back in distance for the 1 1/8-mile Santa Ana and covered the trip in 1:49.08 on a turf course rated firm.
With Drayden Van Dyke aboard, Hoop of Colour stalked plodding early fractions—:25.19 for the quarter-mile, :49.56 for the half, and 1:13.73 for six furlongs—in third place behind early leader and stablemate Rusty Slipper.
The Kentucky-bred then pushed forward after the final turn, passing runner-up Three Hearts in deep stretch to win by three-quarters of a length. Longshot Winning Rhythm (41-1) closed from last in the nine-horse field to finish third, a length back.
"I got right behind Rusty Slipper (and) my horse threw her ears up and she was so relaxed," Van Dyke said. "Near the half-mile pole, only two horses were in front of me, so I got out, stayed off Three Hearts' hip and I had clear sailing from there."
Trained by Graham Motion, the filly out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Unbridled mare Surya pushed her record to 4-1-0 from six starts and increased her earnings to $173,751 with her first graded stakes victory.
"She's a really nice filly," Alice Clapham, Motion's assistant, said of Hoop of Colour, a half sister to 2011 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (gr. I) winner Aruna. "She's shown a lot of talent since she's been here."
The winner paid $26.80, $13.80, and $10 across the board. Three Hearts delivered $10.60 and $7.20, while Winning Rhythm returned $13.20 to show. The $2 exacta paid $171.10 and the $1 trifecta brought in $2,902.60.
Favored Diversy Harbor (5-2), coming off her first graded victory in the Buena Vista (gr. IIT) trailed in seventh through much of the race, but could only rally up to a sixth-place finish.
"There was no pace," Diversy Harbor's jockey, Gary Stevens, said.
French-bred Testa Rossi secured fourth place, followed by Rosalind, Diversy Harbor, Rusty Slipper, Queen of The Sand, and Lady of Gold. Elektrum and Indecise were morning scratches.