Union Strike Outclasses Santa Paula Field

What may have looked like a prep race on paper for Ruis Racing's Union Strike turned into an easy victory for the Union Rags   filly April 9 in the $75,000 Santa Paula Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

In her first start since a fifth-place run in the Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course in December, Union Strike breezed by favored Selcourt with ease in the final furlong to win by 1 1/2 lengths and gave jockey Brice Blanc the 1,000th victory of his career.

"It's just another horse race to me," said owner and trainer Mick Ruis, who saddled the filly for the first time Sunday after she had stints with his daughter, Shelbe Ruis, and Craig Dollase. "I'm just so proud of her. We finally got her 100% sound and training great. We knew she was a good filly and now we just have to go from here. We knew the field was tough, but she had it today, I guess."

When she was with Shelbe Ruis, Union Strike broke her maiden in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) in a stalk-and-pounce fashion and the filly returned to that style in the Santa Paula. As Selcourt and Chalon dueled to a rapid pace of :21.85 and :44.65 through a half-mile, Union Strike raced in fifth and then fourth, angled out four wide in the stretch and cruised past the competition to finish off the 6 1/2-furlong sprint in 1:15.92 at odds of 9-1.

"I tried not to think about (the milestone), but it's hard and it's always in the back of your mind," Blanc said. "When you're one or two away and it's not coming, it can be frustrating. ... Every time you win big race and you get a milestone victory, it's just so special."

The filly's odds were inflated because of her last two efforts—although both were around two turns. Before the Starlet, she ran sixth in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

"I still think she needs to stretch out," Ruis said. "She wants to go longer. Her breeding says she can go long. In other races, she didn't get tired. ... I just gave her plenty of time to let her shins heal. Some people said I was overly patient, but I don't think so, and now we have a really nice filly.

"We're looking at the (grade 2) Black-Eyed Susan (May 19 at Pimlico Race Course), but we don't know yet. We'll have to see."

Bred in Kentucky by Pollock Farms, Brian Kahn, Taylor Brother Property, et al—out of the Smart Strike mare Classic Strike—Union Strike now has a 2-1-0 record from five starts with $265,760 in earnings.

Selcourt finished 3 1/4 lengths clear of longshot Auntjenn, who was followed by Life's Blessings, Mistressofthenight, Chalon, and Charlatana.