Lull Makes the Grade in Autumn Miss

Claiborne Farm and Adel Dilschneider's Lull got a perfect trip and capitalized for her first graded stakes win Oct. 29 in the $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.

With a tracking position in second, just behind longshot early leader Almost Carla, Lull and jockey Flavien Prat took command as the field of 13 turned for home, and pulled away to win by 3 1/4 lengths. The daughter of War Front  trained by Christophe Clement finished off the mile in 1:32.66 on a turf course rated fast.

Almost Carla set a quick pace, with fractions of :22.35 and :45.00 through a half-mile and Lull just behind, but even with the fast pace no closers seriously threatened the winner at any point during the stretch run. Chocolate Coated closed from seventh in the final furlong to pick up second place, a head in front of Storm the Hill, who had a neck in front of Tapped.

"I didn't think we were going that quickly," Prat said. "I wouldn't say that we were walking, but I didn't think we were going fast. I guess she has a lot of speed, because I was just cruising around and trying to keep her relaxed.

"Down the backside she relaxed very well and I was just in a gallop. ... When I asked her to go, she responded well."

It may have been Lull's first graded victory, but she was knocking on the door earlier in the year with placings in the San Clemente Handicap (G2T) and Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T). In between she won the Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint Stakes, and now has a 4-3-1 record and $668,057 in earnings from 11 starts. She was bred in Kentucky, out of the Tiznow  mare Quiet Now.

"We didn't have a good draw (from post 11), but Flavien managed to get a good position going into the first turn," said Clement assistant Christophe Lorieul. "We would have preferred to have her covered up, but she was second, so it was OK. The fractions were actually reasonable and she was able to overcome everything and prevail."