Andrea holds off Nerazurri's late surge to take Azalea Stakes
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Andrea, a 3-year-old filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., turned the tables on stablemate Luvumorgan to win the $75,000 Azalea Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
After settling for second last time out, the forwardly placed filly dug deep in the stretch to earn her second stakes victory by a half-length.
“To win, I thought that was a good and pleasing effort,” Joseph said. “It’s something we can build on.”
When Andrea and Luvumorgan last squared off in the $75,000 Game Face at 6 1/2 furlongs, Luvumorgan tracked the early leaders from fifth and closed fast to beat Andrea by 2 3/4 lengths.
That performance made her the 4-5 favorite in the seven-furlong Azalea, but those rating in the field of six had serious trouble making up ground Saturday. Trainer Carlos David’s decision to scratch front-running filly Anna’s Promise, fifth-place finisher in the Kentucky Oaks, may have impacted the tote board and pace scenario in equal measure.
While Luvumorgan and Unchained Elaine, another contender trained by Patrick Biancone, were spinning their wheels near the back of the pack, Andrea and jockey Miguel Vazquez were positioned just behind early leader Fede. The Armanda De La Cerda filly was in front by 1 1/2 lengths through a half-mile in 45.03, but she began to flag on the far turn. She briefly scrapped with Andrea at the top of the stretch, but eventually fell back.
With the early leader fading and the closers toiling away, Andrea and Vazquez should have been clear to the wire, but their work was far from done. Nerazurri, a 23-1 longshot trained by Angel Quiroz, had been tracking Andrea from third on the backstretch and launched a bid of her own in the final furlong.
After losing her last two starts by 50 1/2 combined lengths, Nerazurri was suddenly center-stage as she continued cutting into Andrea’s margin, forcing Joseph’s filly to work every step to the wire. In the end, the upset bid failed, as Andrea ran on to earn the victory. She paid $6.40 to win and finished the seven-furlong race in 1:22.38.
“[Nerazurri] was obviously gaining on her at one point and it looked like she might give in,” Joseph said. “But she dug in and found more.”
Nerazurri finished 2 1/4 lengths clear of pacesetter Fede, who was never challenged by those in the rear of the field. Luvumorgan finished fourth, hardly making up any ground along the rail. Joseph said he was disappointed by the 4-5 favorite, but Andrea was his “gutsy” bailout on Saturday. Her performance is sure to put her on a better trajectory out of this local 3-year-old fillies division.
In September 2024, her second career start, Andrea won the $85,000 Hallandale Beach by 7 3/4 lengths. She earned her only other victory in similarly commanding fashion in a $53,000 allowance at Tampa Bay Downs in April, interrupting a streak of four stakes defeats.
Her performance in the Azalea may not have been as eye-catching as her previous two victories, but it’s a more telling sign that she can seriously contend at this level. As stakes opportunities for 3-year-old fillies begin to dry up at Gulfstream, Joseph said that he may ship her out of Florida for her next start.
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