Rainha Da Bateria Edges Dacita in Canadian

Grade I winner Dacita suffered a tough beat from a new stablemate when fellow Chad Brown trainee Rainha Da Bateria got the jump by a nose in the Sept. 17 Canadian Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine. 

Formerly trained by Graham Motion for Three Chimneys, the 4-year-old Broken Vow   filly moved to Brown this spring, made her first start Saturday for Lael Stables, and won her first race since taking the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (gr. IIIT) back in October of 2014, 12 starts ago. Last time out she was third behind Dacita in a blanket finish in the Diana Stakes (gr. IT) at Saratoga Race Course, and missed the win by just a head.

"Last time they were only separated by a head, and today again they were a head apart, so they're pretty much two fillies on the same level," said jockey Julien Leparoux, who landed his first graded stakes score since injuring his wrist in a mishap at Saratoga in August. He returned to riding Sept. 8 and later on the Sept. 17 card rode champion Tepin to victory in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT).

Dacita closed up the rail well from a tracking position near the back of the pack on turf rated "good "on a rainy day at Woodbine, after 11-1 shot Midnight Miley galloped away to set early fractions of :23.85 and ;46.42. But the even-money favorite just missed getting to the 9-2 winner, who tracked second all the way around before making her move off the turn.

"She didn't mind it either way; they went fast and she ran good," Leparoux said. "She didn't mind the little softer ground."

Irad Ortiz Jr., who was looking for his third straight win aboard Dacita, offered no excuses for the defeat.

"I had a good trip; we just got beat. She had a good kick; she ran good. She liked the turf. But, we got beat by a good filly," he said.

The final time for the race, about 1 1/8 miles, was 1:45.42. Faufiler completed the trifecta, followed by Strut the Course, Steip Amach, Midnight Miley, and Goodyearforroses. 

Rainha Da Bateria was bred in Kentucky by Alexander Groves Matz out of the Dixieland Band mare Amelia, and sold for $435,000 to Borges Torrealba Holdings from the Gainesway consignment to the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale. She is a half sister to grade I stakes-placed He's Had Enough. The Canadian victory improved her record to 3-4-2 from 16 starts.

Rainha da Bateria not only pulled the $180,000 share of the $303,000 purse to extend her career earnings to $520,060, but also earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" program.