Street Fancy Bursts to Starlet Score

Agave Racing Stable's Street Fancy went from maiden winner to grade I winner Dec. 12, taking the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (gr. I) at Los Alamitos Race Course with a strong late burst of speed.

The 2-year-old Street Sense   filly closed from far back and split horses late under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, diving to the inside and running down four-time stakes winner Stays in Vegas to score by a length after pacesetter Pretty N Cool faded to fourth in the final sixteenth.

"She's anxious before the race starts, but once she leaves there she's cool and was very relaxed today," said Smith. "We're actually still figuring each other out and that's what was happening in the early part of the race. I wasn't concerned about coming up on the inside in the stretch because there was plenty of room and she was very focused.''

Trained by Phil D'Amato, Street Fancy won for the second time in three starts. She broke her maiden at first asking going 5 1/2 furlongs Oct. 18 at Santa Anita Park, then was third in the Nov. 15 Desi Arnaz Stakes going seven furlongs at Del Mar before winning the Starlet over added ground. The victory gave her 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).

"She showed a lot of tenacity and fight, and Mike says we still haven't gotten to the bottom of her yet," D'Amato said. "She can be a little temperamental at times and we've been working a lot with her to get her to relax, and slowly but surely she's been coming along. It's been three different distances at three different tracks and today we got the big one.

"She's a big, giant scopey filly. She looks twice the size of anybody else in this field. I knew she wanted to go two turns. I was just hoping today was the day she showed she wanted it, and she did.''

Jockey Alex Solis said he had to move early on Stays in Vegas to run down two-time grade II winner Pretty N Cool, after tracking second behind early fractions of :22.84, :46.73, and 1:11.26.

"We got a good trip. She relaxed nicely," he said. "I waited as long as I could, but I did have to move a little earlier than I wanted. She was game and showed a lot of heart.''

At the three-quarters mark, Street Fancy was still seventh. But she closed powerfully after straightening for home to get the victory. Final time for the 1 1/16-mile test was 1:44.42 on a fast track. The third-place finisher, three lengths back, was Sutton's Smile—also trained by D'Amato—who edged Pretty N Cool in a photo for the show.

Street Fancy paid $14.60, $5.20, and $3.80 at odds of 6-1, Stays in Vegas brought $4.60 and $3.80 as the 7-2 second choice, and Sutton's Smile was worth $8.80. Following Pretty N Cool were Treasuring, Patriotic Diamond, Surfside Tiara, 2-1 favorite Pacific Heat, and Mama's Sugar. 

Street Fancy was bred in Kentucky by Hunter Valley Farm from the stakes-winning Cat Thief mare Bold Angel, and went through the auction ring four times without meeting her reserve. In her most recent auction appearance, she was a $400,000 RNA from the Barrets Equine Limited March 2015 selected 2-year-olds in training sale when consigned by McCarthy Bloodstock.

The Starlet win improved Street Fancy's earnings to $223,200 from two wins and a third.