Berriestoheaven upsets Tizthen

Berriestoheaven, the only filly in the field with stakes experience, rallied through the stretch to win the $74,100 Anoakia Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Berriestoheaven ($11) finished six furlongs in 1:11.32, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. Tizthen, the 4-5 favorite, finished second, a head in front of Sego Lily, a shipper from Golden Gate Fields.

Berriestoheaven gave trainer Paddy Gallagher his first stakes win of the meeting.

Berriestoheaven was fifth on the backstretch, stalking Daisy's Tribe through early fractions of 21.48 and 44.52 seconds. Berriestoheaven got a few reminders from Baze on the turn and reached contention in the stretch. She needed most of the stretch to get alongside Sego Lily and Tizthen, but pulled clear in the final strides.

Sego Lily and Tizthen were always near the front. Sego Lily took the lead with a three-wide rally on the turn, but lost her advantage in the final furlong.

Berriestoheaven has won 2 of 4 starts and $99,870.

Owned by M & B Partners, Berriestoheaven beat maidens in her second start at Del Mar in August, but was fourth in the Barretts Debutante Stakes at Fairplex Park last month. Gallagher said she had trouble handling that track's tight turns.