Chasing Yesterday Runs to Her Odds in Sunland Park Oaks
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Photo: Coady Photography
Chasing Yesterday wins the Sunland Park Oaks at Sunland Park
Showing the class of her pedigree, Chasing Yesterday once again proved the betting public correct as she broke slow in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks March 24 but was able to make up ground, take the lead, and pull away to a 1 1/4-length victory.
The Tapit half sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah has won five of her six starts—and her fourth straight stakes—for trainer Bob Baffert. She came into the Sunland Park Oaks, which offers 50 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, off a head score in the Dec. 8 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Racecourse.
With an additional 10 points from that win, she is tied for third with Serengeti Empress on the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard.
Making her 3-year-old debut Sunday at Sunland Park, Chasing Yesterday broke last with regular rider Drayden Van Dyke but quickly made up ground to join the leaders while caught five wide through the first turn and into the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile test.
K P Slickem took the field through the first quarter-mile in :24.17 but was taken over by Enlisting on the backstretch. As the pair battled through a half-mile in :48, Chasing Yesterday ranged up and took the lead at the top of the turn for home.
Once clear, she extended her advantage through the stretch and finished in 1:43.18 over a fast track. Off at odds of 1-10, Chasing Yesterday returned $2.10 across the board. K P Slickem held for second to return $9 and $6, and Backflash got up for third, paying $3.60.
"The horse next to her acted up," Baffert said, "and then she started moving. She sort of hopped up at the start, and I started having some really bad nightmares. Thankfully, she's such a good filly that she gathered herself right away.
"Down the backside, I felt pretty good that, well, you can spot them a little bit, and we'll find out how really good of a mare she is. She showed today that her class prevailed after a horrible start like that."
The only loss for Chasing Yesterday, a Summer Wind Equine homebred, came in her second start. After breaking her maiden on debut at Del Mar, she went straight to the top level in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course but finished seventh.
Chasing Yesterday also won the Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita and the Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar last year.
The Kentucky-bred is the fifth foal out of the Yankee Gentleman mare Littleprincessemma, who has also produced grade 1-placed American Cleopatra, group 3-placed St Patrick's Day, and winner Xixixi. The dam also has a 2-year-old full brother to American Pharoah named Theprinceofthebes and a yearling full brother to Chasing Yesterday named Triple Tap. Named broodmare of the year in 2015, Littleprincessemma was a $2.1 million purchase in 2014 by Summer Wind Farm from The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected mixed sale in Lexington, Ky.
Earlier on the Sunland Park card, Escape Clause set a track record of 1:34 flat in the one-mile Harry Henson Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and up. Sailing clear by 7 1/4 lengths with her ears pricked under Tyler Baze, the Manitoba-bred Going Commando mare added her 20th victory from 30 starts.
Owned and trained by Don Schnell, Escape Clause spent most of her career racing at Assiniboia Downs, but after winning eight races in a row, mostly at the stakes level at Canadian tracks, Schnell decided to test her in Southern California. Since that decision, she has won three of six starts, including her first graded victory in the La Canada Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.
Video: Harry Henson H. (BT)