Dreamologist Excels in Las Cienegas
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Photo: Benoit Photography
Dreamologist wins the Las Ciengas Stakes
Although trainer Richard Mandella keeps entering LNJ Foxwoods' Dreamologist in grass races, the off-the-turf edition of the $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes (gr. III) April 10 showed once again that the Tapit filly likes dirt just fine.
The nearly white 4-year-old dueled with multiple stakes winner Velvet Mesquite early and pulled away from the field gradually in the stretch to win the 6 1/2-furlong race by 1 3/4 lengths on Santa Anita Park's closing Sunday.
The top pair sped to fractions of :21.54 and :44.25 through a half-mile, but Velvet Mesquite was no match at the top of the stretch and tired to finish fourth. Fellow Mandella trainee Off the Road closed to finish second, nosing out Fanticola.
"She's done so well on the dirt, we wanted to take a shot at it," Mandella said. "This is a nice way to finish the meet."
The winner ran six furlongs in 1:08.96 and finished off the 6 1/2 in 1:15.56 under jockey Flavien Prat. Dreamologist also won an off-the turf allowance by an impressive 3 1/2 lengths Feb. 19, broke her maiden going 1 1/8 miles over the Del Mar turf in September, and has a score sprinting down the Santa Anita hillside turf course in January.
"She runs the same race on the turf as she runs on the dirt, I think," Prat said. "The only difference is that, when you run on the lead on the dirt, you get an advantage. On the turf, it's pretty tough to run and win on the lead. That's the biggest difference."
Dreamologist paid $3.40, $2.60, and $2.20 across the board. Off the Road brought $7.60 and $4.40, and Fanticola delivered $3 to show.
Smoove It finished an even fifth, followed by Tale of Papa Nick and Dauphine Russe, to complete the order of finish. La Berna, Minks Aprise, Miss Double d'Oro, and My Year Is a Day were scratched.
Bred in Kentucky by Frank Calabrese, out of Rahy's champion 2-year-old filly of 2006 Dreaming of Anna, Dreamologist has a 4-1-2 record from four starts with $203,710 in earnings. On Sunday she became the 75th black-type winner for leading sire Tapit.