Treasuring Speeds to Victory in Senorita
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Treasuring wins the Senorita Stakes at Santa Anita Park
For the first time since she relocated to the U.S. in 2017, Qatar Racing's Treasuring found herself on the lead May 5 at Santa Anita Park and never gave it up.
The Havana Gold filly ran in both sprints and routes in four prior starts for trainer Simon Callaghan, but never showed speed like she did Saturday in the $100,000 Senorita Stakes (G3T).
Treasuring emerged from a three-way contest for the lead in the backstretch of the one-mile grass test, opened up a clear lead in the stretch against her 3-year-old filly rivals, and despite some swishes of the tail, held on to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Under jockey Brice Blanc she was a head back through a first quarter in :23.04, then took over to run the half-mile in :46.47 and six furlongs in 1:11.23.
Blanc and the chestnut filly finished off the mile in 1:35.43. Pursing The Dream, who tracked the leader in second most of the way, held second by a neck over Movie Moment, who edged Consolida by the same margin for third. Favored West Palm Beach, also trained by Callaghan, finished a non-threatening fifth after bringing up the rear in the seven-filly field early on. May Girl and Exuberance completed the order of finish.
A group 3 winner sprinting in Ireland, Treasuring only previously hit the board in one of her four U.S. starts before the Senorita—a second-place run in the March 10 China Doll Stakes. Bred in England by the Pocock Family, out of the Excellent Art mare You Look So Good, Treasuring now has a 4-3-0 record from 12 starts and $151,127 in earnings.
"I think on paper she was the most proven horse in the race—graded stakes wise," Blanc said of his 9-2 mount. "I think she had the class, but a lot of people liked (West Palm Beach) too. I think my filly came from tougher races, and she was already a group 3 winner in Europe. She's run against much better horses the last few races."
Video: Senorita S. (G3T)
Earlier on the Saturday card at Santa Anita, 3-year-old colts and geldings went a mile on the grass in the $100,000 Singletary Stakes.
With an ideal stalking trip through much of the race, Reddam Racing's 15-1 longshot Blame the Rider got past pacesetter Afleet Ascent in the final furlong and found just enough to finish a head in front of favored La La Land at the wire.
The Jimmy Creed colt entered the Singletary off a maiden special weight win in his grass debut April 14 at Santa Anita. Earlier in the season, while still a maiden, he finished a far-back eighth in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) on dirt.
"This horse has always shown ability in the mornings," winning rider Mario Gutierrez said of the Doug O'Neill-trained Blame the Rider, who covered the mile in 1:34.65. "I guess you could say he's a late developer."