Unzip Me reaffirmed her status as the best West Coast sprinter by winning the Wishing Well Stakes
Harris Farms owned 6-year-old mare, Unzip Me, continued her good run from last season, when she won the Wishing Well Stakes at about six and a half furlong on turf at Santa Anita Park on 29 January, 2012, under jockey Rafael Bejarano.
It was Unzip Me’s third win out of her last 5 starts, two of them came this year, and prior to the Wishing Well Stakes, the California bred mare was coming off a third place finish to winner, Mizdirection, in the Grade 3 Monrovia Handicap, at about six and a half furlongs on 2 January, 2012 at Santa Anita.
In the $86,600 Wishing Well Stakes, Unzip Me reaffirmed her status as the West Coast’s best female sprinter, after disappointing in her last 4 starts out of 6, when sent as the favourtie to win, but she did well in those races as well.
It was Rafael Bejarano on the saddle for Unzip Me again, and the couple has formed a pretty good chemistry over the 13 starts they have raced together.
They did it again at Santa Anita when they rebuffed the runner up, Teroda, in the stretch to cover the six and a half furlong distance in 1 minute and 11.94 seconds.
The 3 to 1 favourite for the race, Teroda, made a late bid for the wire under Joel Rosario, but finished a length adrift of Unzip Me, who won at the unique downhill strip of Santa Anita for the seventh time in 11 starts there.
“She’s just all heart, she’s a special horse,” remarked Jones.
“I think the race was a little quicker than it looked on paper,” Jones said.
He added, “I think Raf (Bejarano) did a good job in trying to get her to settle off those horses a little bit. It’s nice to see her get back on track.”
“I could have been on the lead,” Bejarano said.
“I didn’t try to use too much horse this time. I knew the three (Catchy Tune) was going to put on pressure. My filly broke really sharp from the gate and I saw the three rush a little bit. So I decided to take her back and wait a little bit. She showed me a big kick in the stretch.”
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