Ice Dancing Chills the Competition in the Santa Ynez
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Ice Dancing wins the Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita Park
After presumptive favorite Justique was scratched due to a fever, Ice Dancing moved into the position of odds-on favorite in the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park Jan. 8.
The 3-year-old Frosted filly did not disappoint in the seven-furlong race, winning in 1:22.78.
With Flavien Prat up, Ice Dancing bided her time starting from the outside of the field of five.
Parody jumped out to the early lead, dueling with Fast and Shiny , who traded positions with her before opening up a two-plus length advantage. Parody led after a quarter mile in :22.02, followed by Fast and Shiny at :44.68 and 1:09.29.
As they made their way past the half-mile pole, Ice Dancing went three wide. With a quarter of a mile to go, Prat urged her and she answered, taking the lead with a furlong remaining. The Bass Stables homebred wasn't done, showing she had more than enough gas in the tank and pulling away by 3 1/4 lengths.
"She jumped well out of there and it felt like the pace was really strong, so I kind of kept myself off of the pace a little bit and it felt like she was traveling well," said Prat. "She responded well when I asked her to make her move."
What may have aided Ice Dancing's quest was scaling back in distance.
Her last two races—the Chandelier Stakes (G2) and a maiden special weight—were 1 1/16 miles and one mile, respectively. Going from running a mile or longer to just under a mile allowed Ice Dancing to display her strength and stamina.
Trainer Richard Mandella joked about deciding to run a shorter distance. "Pure math," the Hall of Famer said. "Just divided by a certain percentage."
The win also provided Ice Dancing with 10 points toward qualifying for the May 5 Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Satin Doll , Fast and Shiny, Parody, and Huntingcoco rounded out the order of finish. Ice Dancing paid $3 to win.
Mandella spoke about what may be next for her. "She's a big, strong filly, so the Las Virgenes (G3) is a big possibility. More than likely. ... We'll have a look."
Ice Dancing is out of the Henny Hughes mare Welcome Dance. She is 2-0-2 in five starts with earnings of $219,600. Ice Dancing is one of five foals from her mare, four of whom have started and won. Her sire stands at Darley for $10,000.
Prat had praise for the Basses and Mandella.
"It is always great when I win for Mr. Mandella and the Basses. They were the first ones that gave me a chance when I first came here, and I'm really grateful," the native of France said.