'Darling' Follows BC With Santa Ynez Score

Trainer Richard Baltas may have tipped his hand on how he felt about Forever Darling when he sent her to Keeneland to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) off her maiden-breaking score in September at Santa Anita Park.



The Breeders’ Cup run didn’t go great for the daughter of Congrats  , when she bobbled at the start and finished eighth, but she showed her potential again Jan. 2 when she took the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita.



Owned by Baltas, Herbert Bloodstock, and J K Racing, Forever Darling stalked just off the pace of favored two-time grade II winner Pretty N Cool, went past the front-runner late in the stretch, and held off a determined run from Code Warrior to win by a half-length under jockey Rafael Bejarano.

"We thought she displaced in the Breeders' Cup and we found she had an ulcer on her soft palate when we did surgery on her," Baltas said. "This race didn't come up as tough as I thought for a grade II, but I'm so grateful to win, because I own a share of her.

"(Bejarano) had to ride her hard, but she just fought it out. She has a lot of determination and you can't teach that to a horse."



Pretty N Cool—winner of the Matron (gr. II) and Sorrento (gr. II)—held for third, a neck back, after setting fractions of :22.48 and :45.57 through a half-mile, while Forever Darling loomed a half-length back. The winner hit the wire in 1:16.25 for 6 1/2 furlongs.

"I had a good position from the beginning," Bejarano said. "I knew that one of (Bob) Baffert's horses would try to go straight to the lead, so I just tried to figure out which one. I saw Martin (Garcia) go with Pretty N Cool and I knew she was the horse to beat, so I put us in right behind them and went from there."

Code Warrior, who came into the Santa Ynez undefeated in three starts over the Golden Gate Fields synthetic main track, finished well in her dirt and graded stakes debut.

"She ran huge," said Code Warrior's trainer, Manuel Badilla. "We're going to hit the (California) Oaks (Feb. 6) next at Golden Gate ... We'll be back down here again soon—no doubt."



Off at 4-1, the winning chestnut filly paid $10.20, $5, and $3.20 across the board. Code Warrior brought $4.60 and $3 as the 5-2 second choice, and Pretty N Cool delivered $2.60 to show.



Treasuring, My Dynamo, One Last Shot, and Decked Out completed the order of finish. Rockantharos was scratched.



Bred in Kentucky by Debby Oxley, out of the Deputy Minister mare Darling My Darling, Forever Darling  has a 2-0-0 record from four starts and earnings of $155,400.