Pacey Self Preservation to take another shot at Weemissfrankie in the Oak Leaf Stakes
Two-year-old filly Self Preservation, a Kentucky bred daughter of Lion Heart made her first two career starts in Ireland, travelled to Del Mar and pleased her connections when she rolled in second behind the winner Weemissfrankie in the Grade 1$ 250,000
Debutante in her U.S debut, when sent at 24 to 1 odds.
The filly prepares ahead of the Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita on 2 October, 2011.
Out of Saintly Speaking by Dahar, Self Preservation is trained by Ben Cecil for J. Paul Reddam, and Cecil was surprised that Self Preservation ran such a good race in the Debutante, because he admits that before the race she didn’t turn in a good workout
session, but it was kind of a nice surprise, said Cecil.
The trainer further added of the English bred daughter of Lion Heart, that it seemed she did not handle the track very well to begin with, so they were pleased the way the filly ran in the race.
Self Preservation has done very well since she has arrived from Ireland, and the works she has been turning in have been impressive as well.
The juvenile filly shot a bullet in preparation of the Oak Leaf Stakes as she went six furlongs in 1 minute and 11 seconds, which was recorded as the fastest of 28 at drills at the same distance.
The average time for the six furlong drill in those 28 workouts was 1 minute and 13.62 seconds.
Self Preservation hasn’t run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles, but she is a half sister of to Golden Saint, who topped the 1 1/16 miles over the lawn, when she defeated the lot in the Office Queen Stakes, so if her sister can do it so can she.
The filly adapted to the new surroundings pretty quickly and in the Debutante Stakes, the 24 to 1 shot filly impressively rallies coming off the pace under jockey P Valenzuela.
Under Patrick Valenzuela, Self Preservation came up from 10th position at the half mile marker, and took down her opponents one by one to meet Weemissfrankie, but couldn’t overcome the winner.
When her jockey Patrick hopped off her, he said, “Oh, she’s a runner, We’re going to win the Breeders’ Cup’”, Cecil said. “That’s Patrick, he’s always enthusiastic”.
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