And Tell Me Nolies Rallies to Take Chandelier
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Photo: Benoit Photo
And Tell Me Nolies wins the Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Less than a month after rallying to a head score in the TVG Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1), And Tell Me Nolies uncorked another strong finish to take the Oct. 8 $200,000 Chandelier Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. This time, the Peter Miller-trained filly snared the lead at the top of the lane to outlast the rush of Uncontrollable at the wire.
"She got a little tired late, but she knows what to do," Jockey Ramon Vazquez said of And Tell Me Nolies. He has been aboard the filly in every one of her 4 career starts, "She is getting better and better after every race. She can handle the distance. I think she is going to be a superstar later.”
After echoing her Del Mar Debutante stumble at the break in Saturday's race, And Tell Me Nolies raced comfortably in fifth down the backstretch with one horse beat past the half-mile in :46.71. The pace set by longshot Naughty Lottie and Del Mar Debutante third Ice Dancing then began to subside as the pacesetters gave away around the far turn after six furlongs in 1:11.45.
“(And Tell Me Nolies) stumbled pretty good leaving (the gate) and I wasn’t too thrilled with that, but Ramon didn’t panic," Miller said. "He let her get up and get into her stride, and that was the key."
Circling three-wide into bend, And Tell Me Nolies charged past the tiring frontrunners under steady encouragement from Vasquez and sprinted to the wire, fending off Uncontrollable by three-quarters of a length. And Tell Me Nolies ($8.40) clocked 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track in a relatively slow 1:46.15.
Uncontrollable was 4 3/4 lengths clear of the highly touted 6-5 favorite Justique .
Justique, a $725,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale purchase, broke even worse than And Tell Me Nolies, and while reserved at the back by jockey Victor Espinoza, trailed the field by several lengths through the early stages. She began to advance down the backstretch to reach contention, but the Justify filly's rally evened out on the second turn. She passed only fatigued rivals down the lane to manage third.
Running for owner Peter Redekop, And Tell Me Nolies appears Keeneland bound following her Chandelier success. The daughter of the late Arrogate earned an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 4 with the Chandelier serving as a Breeders' Cup Challenge event.
And Tell Me Nolies' connections in the winner's circle
"It’s very exciting to have a filly that wants to run long like this so hopefully we get to the Breeders’ Cup and I’m just thrilled with the way she ran today," Miller said.
Bred in Kentucky by Lara Run, And Tell Nolies was acquired by agent Bryan Anderson, agent for $230,000 at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale from the Off the Hook consignment. She is out of the versatile Exchange Rate mare Be Fair , a graded stakes winner on the turf and grade 1-placed on dirt. All seven of Be Fair's starters have been winners.