Neige Blanche Starts Year Off Right in Astra
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Neige Blanche wins the Astra Stakes at Santa Anita Park
A wall of horses at the top of the stretch didn't keep Neige Blanche from powering to the front once in the clear. The 5-year-old Anodin mare got up to win by a length in the $125,000 Astra Stakes (G3T) Jan. 17 at Santa Anita Park, starting the year the same way she ended last season.
Madaket Stables, Laura de Seroux, Marsha Naify, and Mathilde Powell's Neige Blanche has now won three graded stakes for trainer Leonard Powell since moving to the United States from her native France. Already a group 3 winner in France when she came overseas, she added the May 8 Santa Barbara Stakes (G3T) and Nov. 25 Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) in her 2021 finale before returning in the 1 1/2-mile Astra for older fillies and mares.
The Astra win was an uplifting moment for Leonard Powell after the death of his father, horseman David Powell, over the weekend in France.
"My father has done a lot for racing in France, and me being here is part of him," Powell said. "And my daughter being here, that's another part of him. My brothers in France and my stepbrother, Arnaud Delacour, we all live on with all that he told us. He was a great man to all and I hope we make him proud."
The start of the Astra was transferred from the hillside turf course to the backstretch on the flat turf. Sent off as the 3-10 favorite under Juan Hernandez, Neige Blanche was tucked in third on the rail early. Frose ticked off fractions of :25.99, :51.35, 1:16.99, 1:42.70, and 2:08.06 with Disappearing Act , ridden by Flavien Prat, to her outside in second.
As the field turned for home, Neige Blanche's four rivals fanned out in front of her, but Hernandez called on her once a gap came available. Disappearing Act took over the lead by two lengths in the stretch, but Neige Blanche reeled her in to complete the distance on firm turf in 2:32.27. She paid $2.60 to win on a $2 win ticket.
"The trip worked out pretty good for her because she likes to run like that," Hernandez said. "Just put her up behind horses and she was happy the whole race. I was just waiting for some space to come through and make her run, because as soon as she finds spaces, you just put her in there and she just comes right through like she did today.
"I put a lot of trust in her and in Leonard to have her ready. I felt like I had a lot of horse, we were just waiting for something to open up. She's a nice filly, she was ready today."
Disappearing Act was second six lengths ahead of Scherzo . Frose and Reiwa completed the order of finish.
"I was cursing my countryman Flavien a little bit. I was going 'open the hole, open the hole,'" Powell said, "but she was there when Juan asked her and she's a very game filly, she's all out.
"In the first of the spring we have races here that are spaced apart four or five weeks, so we will do that, and if she does well maybe we will try to look at a grade 1 somewhere down the road."
Bred by Ecurie du Sud, Neige Blanche is out of the Muhtathir mare Bianca Neve. She has an overall record of 7-0-3 from 16 starts and earnings of $395,012.