Pantsonfire Powers Home in Astra Stakes
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Pantsonfire is all alone at the wire to win the Astra Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Surging on the outside of her foes in the final furlongs of the $100,000 Astra Stakes (G3T), Pantsonfire left nothing in her wake but divots in the turf Jan. 20 at Santa Anita Park.
Sent off at post-time odds of 2-1 in the field of nine older fillies and mares, Pantsonfire was mired three-deep in fifth towards the outside early in the running.
Angled towards the rail to set the pace, India Mantuana established the early lead stalked closely by a hard-running Plein Air. Edging ahead of her challenger to take command by a solid 1 1/2 lengths, India Mantuana led the field with ease through the first mile of the 1 1/2-mile test, setting fractions of :23.85, :47.02, and 1:11.49.
Making her final bid for dominance as they rounded the final turn, Plein Air managed to skirt past India Mantuana on the outside before begin angled in towards the rail in the upper stretch.
But ready to pounce with only furlongs to run, jockey Flavien Prat steered Pantsonfire back towards the outside and brought her under strong left-handed urging. The 5-year-old mare responded in kind and dug in passing first K P Pergoliscious and then the fading Plein Air.
With the wire in sight, Pantsonfire shrugged off her rivals and sailed home under a gallop, crossing the wire 5 1/4 lengths clear in a final time of 2:27.83.
"We had a good pace to run at," Prat said. "She rated kind and she was travelling well the whole way. I thought Mike Smith's filly (K P Pergoliscious) would be tough, but my filly gave me a good kick turning for home."
K P Pergoliscious held for second following a photo finish with Lynne's Legacy. Plein Air finished fourth another half-length behind. Trust Fund Kitty, Arctic Roll, Copper Fever, and India Mantuana completed the order of finish.
Amboseli suffered a fatal accident as the field entered the stretch for the first pass. She was pulled up by jockey Kent Desormeaux and vanned off.
The Astra was the first graded stakes win of Pantsonfire's career. She entered the race off a fourth place finish in the Dec. 8 Miss America Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.
"I just gave her a little time," said Richard Baltas, who began training Pantsonfire in July of 2017 after the filly left her native Ireland. "She popped a splint so I gave her like two months and she kind of needed a break. We were running her a lot. She's dancing every dance, she loves Santa Anita. She got a good ride from Flavian. (There was) a lot of speed in the race and she got the job done.
"The race kind of set up for her and she'd been training really well."
Bred in Ireland by Peter Reynolds and Robert Dore out of the Galileo mare Rubileo, the daughter of Sir Percy is a full sister to stakes winner Bomar.
Pantsonfire improved her record to 4-2-4 from 20 starts for earnings of $218,936.