Rhythm of Light, first time at Santa Anita wins the Goldikova Stakes
The British-bred 4-year-old filly, Rhythm of Light, travels the world to find different challenges, and on 4 November, 2012, she was at Santa Anita Park strutting her stuff to an extent, that after 2 days of Breeders’ Cup thrills, she was able to impress everyone with her amazing turn of foot to take the Grade 2, $150,000 Goldikova Stakes on the closing day of Santa Anita’s fall meet.
The turf specialist, under jockey Garrett Gomez for the first time, was pegged back initially in a field of seven, as she did what she do best, stalk the field and wait for an opening to go for the kill.
This time the space came wide, and Gomez sensed it, shifted her four wide, and shook her loose to move in, and she responded brilliant by finding her best stride. She quickly pulled it together, after a brief dull moment while drifting toward the rail.
Tom Dascombe trained daughter of Beat Hollow, edged past her rivals after taking the lead in the mid-stretch and posted a 1 ½ lengths victory as the 2 to 1 choice.
"She did everything like a class filly should, and she proved she was today," Gomez said. "She was absolutely perfect about everything and traveled the last six furlongs exactly the way I wanted her to. She was never too keen or too much off the bridle and raced beautiful the whole time. When I asked her to pick up, she picked up great and came home nice. I didn’t have to ask her for too much."
Lowe Silver Deal’s Rhythm of Light, prior to the Goldikova Stakes, ran in Istanbul at Veliefendi race course, and won the International Istanbul Trophy on 1 September, 2012, over a mile under regular rider, R. Kingscote, a race in which she finished second last year.
Though, this was Rhythm of Light’s and her trainer’s first time at Santa Anita Park, and to come somewhere new and win for the first time speaks volume of the trainer and runner’s versatility.
However, an amazing run against American horses, against whom Dascombe was confident of winner, as he had a great plan, which was efficiently executed by an American jockey, Garrett Gomez.
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