Maybellene Wins Sunland Oaks Via Callback DQ
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It was a bittersweet way for Bob Baffert to win his fifth straight $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks , but it was a win nonetheless.
Callback, off at odds of 3-10, crossed the wire first a neck ahead of fellow Baffert trainee Maybellene, but Sunland Park stewards disqualified the heavily favored Street Sense filly who won the Las Virgenes (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park last time out.
Because the Spendthrift Farm-owned Callback sharply came over and impeded Fancy and Flashy in the stretch, nearly going into the rail with jockey Martin Garcia, the filly was disqualified to fourth and Maybellene, ridden by Victor Espinoza, was named the victress.
By Lookin At Lucky , Maybellene is owned by Baffert's wife, Jill, and paid $9.80, $4.80, and $6.80 across the board.
Baffert said he thought Callback tried to jump the track marks left by the starting gate in the 1 1/16-mile race. Callback even lost the lead to her stablemate for a moment after the sharp move in, but rallied back to cross the wire first, covering the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.90.
"I'm happy the way they ran," Baffert said of the two fillies. "I was hoping for a one-two finish, but I never expected that. It was a strange way it went down there at the end."
Fancy and Flashy, who went off at 40-1 and opened up fractions of :21.44 for the quarter-mile and :45.83 for the half while Callback stalked and Maybellene sat back in fifth, was elevated to third with the disqualification and delivered $38 to show. Scat Means Go, at 20-1, was third, retuning $12.40 and $19.60. The $1 exacta paid $68.90 and the $1 trifecta returned $857.
Bred in Kentucky by Colts Neck Stables from the Giant's Causeway mare Greathearted, Maybellene claimed her first stakes win with the Sunland Oaks score, increased her earnings to $276,194, and pushed her career mark to 3-1-2 from 10 starts. She was a $140,000 purchase by Big Sky Stables at the Keeneland 2013 September yearling sale, where Three Chimneys Sales consigned.
Babes Cylver Slew, in fifth, was followed by Suva Harbor, We Need Art, and Rousanne, to complete the order of finish.