A.P. Adventure impresses in Santa Ysabel

ARCADIA, Calif. - Lack of experience, an interrupted work pattern, a bad start, and a wide trip could not derail A.P. Adventure from her mission of capturing Sunday's $106,800 at Santa Anita.

A.P. Adventure, in only her second start, successfully jumped from a maiden race to a Grade 3 stakes. She overhauled pacesetting Salty Romance with 100 yards to go and quickly drew clear to win by a widening 3 1/2 lengths. Salty Romance held on for second, a half-length in front of third-place Wildwood Flower.

The final time of 1:44.27 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track was ordinary. But A.P. Adventure ($3.80) had plenty against her. She had not raced since an impressive debut win here on Oct. 30 because first-level allowance races going two turns would not fill. She missed a few weeks of training when a foot flared up. And then in the Santa Ysabel, she came out of the gate awkwardly and then was caught wide on both turns.

None of that mattered, though trainer Wally Dollase admitted to some anxious moments on the final turn.

"I was concerned, because I'm so high on her," Dollase said. "Then, all of a sudden, like a bolt of lightning, she took off."

Alex Solis, the meet's leading rider, won his third race of the day on A.P. Adventure. "This filly has so much untapped class and ability that she just ran the other filly down in the stretch," Solis said.

A.P. Adventure, a daughter of A.P. Indy, was purchased by Dollase on behalf of owners Bob and Beverly Lewis for $425,000 at a 2-year-old-in-training sale in Florida 11 months ago. She is one of only two horses Dollase trains for the Lewises.

A.P. Adventure will take another big step in her next race. She is scheduled to face Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Halfbridled, the soon-to-be-named champion 2-year-old filly of 2003, in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 15.