Blanc high on Spanish Queen ahead of Belmont Oaks
Spanish Queen, the California-bred filly who won the Grade 1 American Oaks and aims to upset the Belmont Oaks on Saturday, officially is trained by Richard Baltas.
But jockey Brice Blanc also has been there every step of the way.
Blanc was the filly’s workout rider before she ever started and has ridden her in all four of her races. Blanc recently talked about Spanish Queen, 3 for 4 and looking for more.
“She’s a lot of fun for me because I was able to help develop her,” he said. “The first time I worked her [in January], I went back to Richie [Baltas] and said, ‘You want me to work this filly back next week, right?’ He said, ‘I’ll let you know.’
“I could tell she had a lot of potential, but her mind needed to settle a little bit. You could tell she has a lot of fire in her. I had a lot of expectations.”
Baltas allowed Blanc to continue working the filly and gave him the mount when the daughter of Tribal Rule made her career debut March 5 at Santa Anita in a California-bred maiden race at one mile.
Bet to 2-1 favoritism, Spanish Queen walked out of the gate and trailed the field. No problem. She circled the field and drew off by 5 3/4 lengths.
“I know it was kind of a weak group,” Blanc said. “She didn’t stand good in the gate, she broke slow, and she was dead last. And then she went around everybody.”
And she made everyone’s “Horses to Watch” list, including Daily Racing Form:
SPANISH QUEEN
Trainer: Richard Baltas
Last race: March 5, 5th
Finish: 1st by 5 3/4
Beyer: 74
This 3-year-old filly produced a smashing career debut in a turf route for California-bred fillies and mares. She walked out of the gate, got stopped in traffic on the far turn, lost ground into the lane, and then drew away. This was a super debut by a Tribal Rule filly.
One month later, Spanish Queen entered the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at 1 1/8 miles. Although she finished second, it was a positive experience.
“The day she got beat, she learned a lot,” Blanc said. “She actually broke sharp and put me into the race. That was the first time I actually had to teach her to kind of settle down a little off the pace.
“[In her debut] she was back there by herself, and she was very relaxed. But horses like that, that all of the sudden are in a group of horses, they tend to want to be too racy and too aggressive. Even though we got beat, she learned a lot, and I think she blossomed from it. Each race was a little bit better.”
Spanish Queen returned May 3 in the Grade 3 Honeymoon. The small filly continued to improve.
“She’s not very big,” Blanc said. “She’s very European-type, with different gears. She’s not easy to ease back. But once she does, she really understands what I expect from her. She’s just got different gears. That helps in those kinds of races where you encounter jams, where you’re in tight.
“She’s very genuine … she’s not a chicken. She loves racing; she really enjoys the competition of it. I think that’s what makes her develop so quickly and be how good she is.”
In the Honeymoon, Spanish Queen raced closer to the pace and won by 1 1/2 lengths. It was her second win from three starts. She was getting better. So, has she changed mentally?
“Very much,” Blanc said. “She was, I wouldn’t say antsy but a little excited all the time. It seems like now, at least from my angle, she’s a little calmer. She gets, not really wound up, but in the post parade, she shows she’s ready … she’s a racehorse. She’s on her toes; she’s ready to go.
“But mentally, I can see in the mornings when I work her, she’s a lot calmer. She still gets that pumped-up, excitement kind of thing. But when you ask her to do something, to calm down and relax, she does it. She’s got a lot more confidence in herself now, too, which makes her a little more settled. She’s maturing a little bit more, too.”
Spanish Queen was the odds-on favorite May 30 in the American Oaks, though Blanc was cognizant of a challenging pace scenario. A key rival, Feathered, had a potential advantage. Spanish Queen broke from the inside post in the 1 1/4-mile race.
“With the 1 hole and the rail coming out like it does around the turn, I didn’t want to be shuffled back too far because I was worried of [Feathered] being the only speed in the race,” Blanc said. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t get shuffled too far back, and so I had to kind of let her run away for almost over an eighth of a mile.
“Usually, I don’t let her go that far … leaving the gate. She’s pretty quick; when she gets going, it takes a little while to kind of settle down. It got a little tough to get her back, and then my saddle slipped a little bit when I tried to ease her back. But once she got covered up, she was fine. It was the first time I really had to test her a little bit.”
Despite her saddle slipping, racing 1 1/4 miles for the first time, and being keen early, Spanish Queen won the American Oaks by three-quarters of a length. She had something left late.
“She just keeps improving and really getting the idea of what we want from her,” Blanc said. “And that’s what I tell Richie, too, in the mornings when I work her, she doesn’t stop learning. It’s pretty amazing to be able to win a Grade 1 in four starts. To be 3 for 4, I think it’s pretty amazing.”
On Saturday, the New York-based Lady Eli and the California-based Spanish Queen are among the top contenders in the $1 million Belmont Oaks. Blanc looks forward to the challenge.
“It will be fun to see which group is better,” he said. “It will be East vs. West.”