Sparky Ville Upsets Baffert Pair in San Vicente
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Sparky Ville (outside) just gets by Dessman to win the San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita Park
It was apparent soon after the break that jockey Joel Rosario had a clear plan aboard Del Secco DCS Racing's Sparky Ville in the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes (G2) Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park.
After a start from post 4 aboard the Candy Ride gelding, and with the two Bob Baffert-trained favorites—Coliseum and Dessman—off slow to his inside, Rosario immediately went to the rail as the speedy Savagery went to the lead.
Once in position, Rosario was a calm passenger aboard the Jeff Bonde-trained chestnut as the Baffert pair advanced to challenge Savagery in the backstretch of the sloppy, seven-furlong test.
He may have had the position he wanted as Savagery set fractions of :22.07 and :44.32 through a half-mile, but as the race progressed, Rosario's trip was not without peril.
As Dessman moved three wide, Coliseum made his bid between horses, and Savagery began to tire. Sparky Ville was locked on the rail through much of the turn, and Rosario even had to check his mount slightly in tight quarters behind horses. At the quarter pole, however, Rosario gave up on the rail bid and angled out as he ventured into the lane.
With Savagery in full, tiring retreat, and 3-5 favorite Coliseum unable to match strides with his stablemate, the run to the wire from the three-sixteenths pole came down to Dessman and Sparky Ville, and Sparky Ville was just able to get by. Dessman got an advantageous bob on the inside at the wire, but Sparky Ville still prevailed by a nose to finish the distance in 1:21.93.
"Going into the far turn, I was in tight, but I had to wait because I thought those horses were moving a little early," Rosario said. "When we left the quarter pole, I asked him and he really picked things up. I thought those horses would come back to him and we'd win easy, but (Dessman) kept fighting."
Coliseum completed the trifecta, 6 1/2 lengths behind his stablemate and 4 1/4 ahead of fourth-place finisher Synthesis. Savagery came in last of five.
Bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, out of the Storm Cat mare Lorelei K, Sparky Ville earned his first graded stakes win in his fourth try and pushed his record to 3-1-2 from eight starts, with earnings of $257,770. His owners purchased him privately after he was a $170,000 RNA at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
"This horse seems like he's more adept at seven furlongs to a mile, so I'm not sure he wants a mile and a quarter," Bonde said in reference to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).
"We are very happy with the way our horse had trained for this race, but it's always scary when you look at those Baffert Maseratis," Bonde added. "It pretty much unfolded the way we had hoped."
Earlier in the card, the first year of grade 3 status for the $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes was immediately downgraded when the race was moved to the main track because of wet and rainy conditions (the grade will be reviewed and could be reinstated by the American Graded Stakes Committee).
Even with the surface switch, jockey Kent Desormeaux gave Apache Princess a perfect turf-esque ride (other than the moment when he dropped his whip) up the rail that resulted in a 3 1/4-length victory for the California-bred Unusual Heat filly.
Owned by KMN Racing and trained by Keith Desormeaux, Apache Princess has now won three consecutive races—her first two traveling down the hillside turf course, and the Sweet Life on the main track. She finished the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.82.
"I picked this up on the track for you. … Thanks for the ride," Keith Desormeaux joked to his brother and rider after the race.