Faiza Outduels Pride of the Nile to Take Starlet

Michael Lund Petersen's Faiza  outdueled a stubborn Pride of the Nile  and survived a stewards' inquiry to win the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) Dec. 10 at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Her head victory gave Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a record ninth win in the contest and a sixth straight. The Starlet was run for many years at Hollywood Park before that track's closure, after which the race was moved to Los Alamitos.

Baffert's ninth win moved him out of a tie with fellow Hall of Famer and eight-time winner D. Wayne Lukas.

In a post-race in-house television interview, Baffert credited the 87-year-old Lukas, who he called one of the greatest Thoroughbred trainers ever after his initial involvement with Quarter Horses, for opening the doors for other trainers, such as himself.

"It just means a lot to me—Los Alamitos—(and) to win this race at many times," Baffert added. "It just shows the clientele that I have. Without the clientele, I could have never done it, and I've got a great staff that works with me. It's a team effort."

The inquiry, which lasted several minutes, appeared to largely involve bumping at the head of the stretch. The 1-2 finishers both appeared to make contact with pacesetter Doinitthehardway , who ultimately faded to fourth. Uncontrollable  was third. The 3-4 finishers checked in well behind the top two.

Faiza, a 2-year-old daughter of Girvin   bred by Brereton Jones out of the Smart Strike  mare Sweet Pistol , raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.49 under Flavien Prat. She paid $3 to win.

She became the first grade 1 winner for Girvin, who was moved to stand at Airdrie Stud for the 2023 breeding season after a promising start to his stallion career at Ocala Stud in Florida. She is his first-crop sire's second graded stakes winner, following Damon's Mound , winner of the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) this summer at Saratoga Race Course. 

Faiza was a $725,000 purchase in May by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni for her owner from Paul Sharp's consignment to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. A year before, she had been a $90,000 buy by Bet Racing from her breeder's consignment to The July sale at Fasig-Tipton. 

The Starlet victress is the first stakes winner for Sweet Pistol from five foals, two of whom have raced. Two of her three unraced foals are not yet of racing age--a Cairo Prince yearling filly and a Complexity filly born this year.

Faiza's second dam is multiple graded-winning sprinter Pomeroy's Pistol, who produced Thousand Words, winner of the 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) for Baffert.

This story will be updated.