Santa Anita: Executiveprivilege stays unbeaten in Chandelier

ARCADIA, Calif. - Executiveprivilege is bound for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 2 with an unbeaten record.

Stretching her winning streak to five races, Executiveprivilege had little trouble winning her first start around two turns in Saturday’s $250,000 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita. The BC Juvenile Fillies will be run over the same 1 1/16 miles as the Chandelier.

The Chandelier Stakes had an economic boost for Executiveprivilege’s owners – Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. The race was part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, providing Executiveprivilege with a fees-paid berth to the $2 million BC Juvenile Fillies.

Rafael Bejarano, who escaped injury in a spill on Friday, rode Executiveprivilege, who paid $2.60.

Bejarano had Executiveprivilege in front throughout the Chandelier, setting a slow pace of 23.91 and 48.41 seconds through the first half-mile. Executiveprivilege had a half-length advantage over Miss Empire on the backstretch, the closest her rivals got to the lead.

On the turn, Executiveprivilege pulled away to lead by 1 1/2 lengths. Her advantage widened through the stretch without significant urging from Bejarano and she won by 6 1/4 lengths.

Trainer Bob Baffert said he wanted Bejarano to keep Executiveprivilege near the front on a track that has played friendly to front-runners in the first two days of the meeting.

“I said, ‘Don’t give her a lot to do,’” Baffert said. “She’s fast and she ran like she’s been working.”

Scarlet Strike, making her stakes debut, closed from seventh to finish second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Miss Empire in the field of eight 2-year-old fillies.

Executiveprivilege, by First Samurai, has won four stakes, including two Grade 1 races. She won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante over seven furlongs on Sept. 1 by a nose over Beholder.

Beholder was entered for the Chandelier Stakes, but was scratched on Saturday morning after trainer Richard Mandella said he would prefer to keep her in shorter races.

Executiveprivilege was purchased for $650,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ sale of 2-year-olds in training in April. She has earned $540,000.

“She’s very special and we have to keep her healthy,” Baffert said.