Pretty N Cool Leads Way in Matron Win
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Pretty N Cool wins the Matron Stakes.
Trainer Bob Baffert's West Coast shipper Pretty N Cool scored a front-running one-length victory as the favorite in the $200,000 Matron Stakes (gr. II) for 2-year-old fillies Oct. 18 at Belmont Park.
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman's Scat Daddy filly edged past Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) third-place finisher Constellation, who dogged her all the way, in the stretch to win her East Coast debut. Tonasah finished third.
With Martin Garcia aboard, Pretty N Cool bobbled at the start but soon spurted ahead of rivals after vying for command and maintained her advantage throughout, covering six furlongs in 1:09.73 on a fast track. Improving to 3-1-0 from four lifetime starts, she earned her second graded stakes victory following her Sorrento Stakes (gr. II) win in August. She was the runner-up to Songbird in the Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) Sept. 5 in her most recent outing.
In between Constellation and Tonasah through an opening half-mile, Pretty N Cool clocked a :22.39 opening quarter before Constellation drew to her throat latch. The half went in :44.96 with Constellation menacing, and the two went stride for stride in the stretch before Pretty N Cool settled the matter in the final sixteenth of a mile.
"We were confident," Baffert said of his 3-5 favorite. "We knew going in she was doing really well and six furlongs is her distance. She has a lot of quality. She's pretty fast. She could have rated but (Garcia) just kept her where she was comfortable. She was doing it the right way and he knows her really well, which is why we had him ride her."
Pretty N Cool, under top weight of 121 pounds, paid $3.80, $2.50, and $2.10, and Constellation returned $3.30 and $2.50. Tonasah paid $3.30 to show.
"I got a really good trip," Garcia said. "Good horse, she's fast and then I was just in perfect position. When I asked her to go she took off, and she was a little from company but in the end she was playing around. When I asked her to go and she just took off."
Bred in Kentucky by Nancy Shuford, Pretty N Cool sold to Three Amigos Stable for $160,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale, where Elm Tree Farm consigned as agent. Her dam is the stakes-placed Rockport Harbor mare Stayclassysandiego, a half sister to grade I winner Sean Avery.