Home Sweet Aspen once again went to the front for Rosario to win the Santa Monica Stakes
The game, Home Sweet Aspen, snubbed the conversations of a rivalry between the top 2 Grade 1 La Brea Stakes runners, Teddy’s Promise and Sugarinthemorning, when little known California bred Home Sweet Aspen edged past Sugarinthemorning to win the Grade 1, $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes by a neck, in a pulsating finish at Santa Anita Park on 28 January, 2012.
In a field of seven 4-year-old and above fillies and mares, over the venue’s synthetic surface at about seven furlongs, jockey Joel Rosario guided Home Sweet Aspen to her seasonal debut win in an exciting manner.
Racing for Craig Family Trust and trained by John Saddler, Home Sweet Aspen is the Kentucky bred daughter of Candy Ride, out of mare My Gal Groovy by Groovy.
She finished 4th in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes to winner, Teddy’s Promise at Santa Anita over a distance of seven furlongs on 31 December, 2011.
She ran another stakes race in December, the Cool Air Stakes over at Hollywood Park’s turf course, but finished a dismal seventh on the day to winner, Briecat, at about six furlongs,
She was coming into the Cool Air Stakes on the back of a two race win streak, starting in an allowance/optional claimer at Del Mar on 5 September, 2011, at about six furlongs, where she defeated Lady Liam in second, and Judicious in third, while covering the distance in 1 minute and 8.29 seconds.
Then she was off to Santa Anita for a six and a half furlong stakes' race, called the Louis R Rowan Stakes, on dirt, and she snatched it from Mildly Offensive via a late rally in the stretch to down the other filly in second, and covered the distance in 1 minute and 15 seconds flat, while Madera Castana finished third.
In the Santa Monica Stakes, Home Sweet Aspen downed seven furlong over synthetic in 1 minute and 21. 42 seconds over the fast main track.
"I kind of saw (Sugarinthemorning) coming on the outside, so I just waited a little bit," Rosario said,
"But I knew (Home Sweet Aspen) had a little more left because I let her go out easy early, and she did.”
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