Sugar Fish Beats Older Alpha Bella in Zenyatta
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Sugar Fish and Tyler Baze score by 1 1/2 lengths in the Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita
Owners Michael Talla and Kim Lloyd know one thing: Sugar Fish adores Santa Anita Park.
"She loves it here," Talla said.
Sugar Fish proved that again by taking on older fillies and mares in the Sept. 29 Zenyatta Stakes (G2) and running down pace-setting Alpha Bella for the 1 1/2-length victory. It was a good bookend to her 9 3/4-length romp in the June 8 Summertime Oaks (G2) at Santa Anita against her own age group for trainer Jeff Mullins.
Nothing Like You , another 3-year-old who posted her own mammoth 7 1/2-length margin in the April 6 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), went off as the 19-10 favorite over older campaigners Desert Dawn and Alpha Bella in the 1 1/16-mile Zenyatta. Making her first California start and her first for trainer John Sadler, Alpha Bella stumbled badly at the start, but recovered almost immediately to go to the lead for jockey Hector Berrios.
Nothing Like You and longshot Che Evasora didn't let Alpha Bella ever get too far ahead, though the pacesetter was able to set easy fractions of :23.65 for the first quarter-mile and :48.25 for a half-mile. Tyler Baze had Sugar Fish last of the five.
"I had a lot of confidence in her, and I just rode her like that," Baze said. "I knew she would be there when I asked her."
Sugar Fish began moving forward on the backstretch and around the second turn. Baze angled her out at the top of the stretch, but made a quick decision to cut inside of Alpha Bella past the eighth pole.
"I was actually going to go to outside of him (Berrios)," Baze said. "But turning for home he kind of drifted out."
Sugar Fish spurted through the opening to pass Alpha Bella and win in 1:43.53. Those two were much the best of the rest, as Alpha Bella had nine lengths on third-place Desert Dawn, who was followed by Nothing Like You and Che Evasora.
The Zenyatta lost two major players when Adare Manor was retired several days before the race and wasn't entered and Flying Connection was a vet scratch the morning of the race. Those two had finished one-three in the Aug. 3 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar, when Sugar Fish ended up sixth.
"At Del Mar, she never seems to enjoy it," said Lloyd, who as Sweetwater Stable has a 20% interest in Sugar Fish. "Here she's always enjoyed it. She loves Jeff Mullins, and Amy (Mullins) gallops her every day and does a wonderful job with her."
Amy Mullins, the trainer's ex-wife, represented the barn in the winner's circle. She said that Jeff was in Florida. Jeff Mullins didn't train Sugar Fish during her two starts at 2 last year, but has been at the helm throughout 2024. The filly's record this year is four wins, a second, and the sixth in the Hirsch.
"She's not delicate, but you've got to treat her just right," Talla said. "We put her in the Hirsch at Del Mar and she wasn't right."
Sugar Fish was definitely right for the Zenyatta, a Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen race. However, because she is only 3, Talla said he doubts they will go to the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), preferring to wait until next year.
Talla bought Sugar Fish for $40,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale. Bred by George Gilbert in Kentucky, the filly is out of the graded stakes-winning Langfuhr mare Madeira Park , also the dam of stakes-placed Hartel .
Sugar Fish is by Accelerate , champion older dirt male of 2018, the year he won the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Accelerate was moved to the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions late last year after initially standing at Lane's End Farm.