California Angel storms home to upset Jessamine Stakes
LEXINGTON, Ky. – California Angel has found her little piece of heaven on the Kentucky bluegrass, remaining unbeaten on the turf with a $37.60 upset score in the Grade 2, $200,000 Jessamine Stakes on Wednesday at Keeneland.
The Jessamine was the final Win and You're In race in the United States toward the 2021 Breeders' Cup, awarding its winner an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar. This race has proven a strong prep. Twice in its past four runnings, the Jessamine has been captured by a filly who went on to win the Juvenile Fillies Turf – Rushing Fall in 2017, in the only previous year that the Breeders' Cup was held at Del Mar; and Aunt Pearl last year, when both races fell at Keeneland.
The Jessamine also was won by future Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner and Eclipse Award champion Perfect Sting in 1998, prior to the addition of the Juvenile Fillies Turf; and, more recently, by future Grade 1 winners Laragh (2008), Somali Lemonade (2011), Harmonize (2015), La Coronel (2016), and Concrete Rose (2018).
There was not much prediction pre-race that California Angel, a California Chrome filly trained by George Leonard III for owner Chris Walsh, would be joining those ranks. The filly won her debut in September on the unique Kentucky Downs turf course. However, she then finished third when trying a dirt sprint on Sept. 30 at Churchill Downs, rendering her a longshot for the Jessamine.
“I wanted to get an out in her before the stake,” Leonard said, noting that there was no turf racing at the Churchill meet due to the ongoing turf course renovation. “I hated to go from a maiden to a stake, and she can run on the dirt. She broke slow, finished up really well, got a lot out of the race.”
Turnerloose, sent away favored in the Jessamine off victories in her first two starts, bounced away from the gate well from post 3 in the field of 13. She shook off her pursuers around the first turn and led by just shy of a length as she moved comfortably through a half-mile in 47.73 seconds and came to six furlongs in 1:13.31 on turf officially rated good. California Angel, with Rafael Bejarano aboard, sat 12th at that point.
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Turnerloose shook loose by about 1 1/2 lengths in upper stretch, but began to wander slightly toward the outside, appearing to tire, and found herself set upon by challengers in the final furlong. Diamond Wow edged her way to the front and appeared the likely winner coming to the sixteenth grounds, but, having worked her way to a far outside path, California Angel was flying from back in eighth. The filly’s wicked turn of foot brought her to Diamond Wow late, and she snatched a head victory in a photo finish, with Turnerloose just another neck back in third.
“The way she comes running, the way she moves, is tremendous,” Bejarano said.
The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.30.
There is no question as to the next start for the newest Jessamine victor.
“We’re going to California,” Leonard said. “California Angel’s going to California.”