My Fiona Tallies Again in Soviet Problem
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Odds-on choice My Fiona registered the third stakes win of her juvenile campaign when she outfought a game Heat the Rocks in a see-saw stretch run to prevail in the $200,000 Soviet Problem Stakes by half a length Dec. 7 at Los Alamitos.
The California-bred daughter of Ghostzapper could become the new poster girl for the Golden State Series after running her seasonal earnings to $358,100. She has collected three wins and a second from her four starts in state-bred stakes company for trainer Walther Solis.
The winner was bred by Terry Lovingier out of the multiple stakes-winning Two Punch mare A Vision in Gray. Lovingier owns the dark bay filly, a four-time winner from six starts overall, in partnership with Tom Beckerle and Amanda Navarro.
Always prominent for jockey Rafael Bejarano, My Fiona did not have it easy in the one-mile Soviet Problem, which she won in a time of 1:37.46. She was racing between horses while getting pressure from Tribal Express on her outside and Heat the Rocks at the rail as they pushed through quarter-mile fractions of :22.98 and :46.35. She reached the quarter pole three wide on the outside as Tribal Express gave way, completing six furlongs in 1:11.31.
In the long Los Alamitos stretch run, My Fiona and Heat the Rocks took turns on the lead before by My Fiona got the measure of her rival in deep stretch under urging at odds of 4-5. Heat the Rocks, ridden by Elvis Trujillo, was second by a half length over Niassa and Tyler Baze in the field of six 2-year-old fillies.
Tribal Express finished fourth, followed by Easter Fever. Princess Bertrando was pulled up past the eighth pole and did not finish, although she walked off afterward.
"When I saw the fractions, I thought I was in trouble because she was fighting to be there," Solis said of My Fiona. "I was hoping she would have the same kick and she did. She's a good filly and she'll get a rest now until next year."
"She came back and was real game at the end," Bejarano added.
My Fiona won the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Stakes on the Breeders' Cup undercard Oct. 31 at Santa Anita Park, coming from off the pace that day under patient handling by Bejarano. She also captured the CTBA Stakes at Del Mar July 18 and was second in Del Mar's Generous Portion five weeks later. In her only try against open company, My Fiona was third in the listed Landaluce Stakes at Santa Anita in June.
Carrying top weight of 121 pounds, My Fiona paid $3.60, $2.20, and $2.10, keying a chalky $8.20 exacta with second choice Heat the Rocks, who returned $3.40 and $2.60. Niassa was $3.40 to show.