Ippodamia's Girl Holds on for Blue Norther Victory

George and Martha Schwary Racing's homebred Ippodamia's Girl parlayed the success from her maiden-breaking win Nov. 25 into her first stakes win Dec. 31 in the $75,000 Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

The 2-year-old Stormy Atlantic  filly got a similar trip to her first win in the one-mile Blue Norther on the Santa Anita grass, as she pressed early leader Silken Spy, hit the front in mid-stretch, and held off a late closing drive from two-time stakes winner One Fast Broad to win by a half-length.

Silken Spy, who held for third and hit the wire just a half-length behind One Fast Broad, clicked off fractions of :23.07, :47.58, and 1:12.16 through six furlongs. She was headed with a furlong to run by Ippodamia's Girl, who finished the mile in 1:35.93 on firm turf as darkness crept up on the Arcadia, Calif., racetrack in the late afternoon.

The Mike Puype-trained filly was ridden by Rafael Bejarano, who scored the final Southern California stakes of 2017.

"Last time she was (keen) early," Bejarano said. "Today, after the first turn, she relaxed. I thought she could repeat her last race today and at the three-eighths pole, I had so much horse. It was over."

Finess Bere closed from the back of the 11-filly field to finish fourth, and was followed by Streak of Luck, X S Gold, Multiplayer, Retro, Holy Diver, Deep Breath, and Empress of Lov to complete the order of finish.

Bred in Kentucky, out of the stakes-winning Peterhof mare Ippodamia, the filly is a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner Georgie Boy and now has a 2-2-0 record from five starts with earnings of $96,525.

"I don't know what 2018 will look for her ... I hate to say the wrong thing, but she's really not much on the dirt," Puype said. "Her stride is different on the turf than the dirt. I think we're staying on grass, because she struggles in the mornings on the dirt."