Prize Exhibit Last to First in Senorita

Prize Exhibit swept past rivals down the middle of the Santa Anita Park turf course and won the $100,000 Senorita Stakes (gr. IIIT) for 3-year-old fillies June 27 in a swift last-to-first rally. 

 

Sweeping into contention with a four-wide bid off the turn, the British-bred Showcasing filly overhauled pacesetter Long Hot Summer inside the final sixteenth and won going away by 2 1/4 lengths at 9-1 odds. Lutine Belle was third in the nine-horse field.

 

Prize Exhibit covered one mile in 1:36.03 on a firm turf course, chalking up her first stakes win and second victory overall in six U.S. starts. Group III-placed at Newmarket last year, she arrived in the U.S. last fall for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT), finishing a commendable fourth to Lady Eli, but bounced back in January to win an optional claiming race at the Arcadia, Calif. track. In her previous start, she was fifth in the listed Penn Oaks May 30.

 

Positioned perfectly at the back of the field off a snappy pace set by Long Hot Summer—:22.99, :47.29 and 1:11.74 through six furlongs—Prize Exhibit was just winding up her run for Santiago Gonzalez when eighth with a quarter mile to run. 

 

"I told the jock to sit close, about third or fourth, and he didn't listen to me," winning trainer James Cassidy said. "I'm telling you the truth. After the race, I said to him, 'What happened to third or fourth?' He just looked at me and shrugged.

 

"At Penn National, she got back too far and there was no pace. She came running but she had so much to do, she just couldn't get there."  

 

Overall, Prize Exhibit has a 3-1-1 record from 13 career starts. She is campaigned by Deron Pearson who races as DP Racing.      

 

Under equal weights of 118 pounds, Prize Exhibit paid $21.80, $9, and $6.20 and Long Hot Summer returned $6.80 and $5. Lutine Belle paid $6.40 to show after gaining ground from last with two furlongs to run.

 

Rattataptap was fourth, followed by Screaming Skylar, Avenge, Miss Double d'Oro, Mio Me, and Curlin's Fox.

 

Prize Exhibit, from her sire's first crop, was bred by Mrs. R. F. Johnson Houghton from the winning Inchinor mare Roodeye.