Carmouche guides La Mehana up the rail to take Waya

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It wasn’t the trip trainer Christophe Clement was expecting from La Mehana, but he was just fine with the end result in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Waya Stakes at Aqueduct.

Last of six for more than a mile of the 1 3/8-mile turf event, La Mehana came with a flying finish along the rail in the stretch under Kendrick Carmouche to run down Immensitude and win the Waya by a neck. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Beautiful Love in third. Avenue Niel finished fourth followed by 3-5 favorite McKulick and Grade 2 Flower Bowl winner Idea Generation.

Surprisingly and Star Fortress were scratched.

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It was La Mehana’s first win in four graded stakes tries in the U.S. since coming to Clement late last year. She is owned by the LSU Stables headed by Larry Sarf.

La Mehana has had gate issues in her North American starts, but typically raced within four lengths of the lead. Friday, La Mehana again broke poorly only this time she was nine lengths behind Idea Generation after a half-mile run in 51.40 seconds.

Carmouche was content to have La Mehana in last, keeping her along the inside the whole trip, finding room in upper stretch, and rallying her inside of Immensitude, who had taken over from Idea Generation in midstretch.

“I thought they were going at a pretty good clip, my horse was on the bit the whole time,” Carmouche said. “I had horse the whole way, I was just hoping everything would open up and everybody pitched out. She just exploded through there.”

Carmouche said he had it in his mind to rally along the rail and had a willing partner in La Mehana.

“She wanted to go straight through there and I wanted to help her do it.”

La Mehana, a 5-year-old French-bred daughter of Al Wukair, covered the 1 3/8 miles over firm ground in 2:17.64 and returned $21.20.

Clement said that in both Europe and in three starts for him this year, La Mehana seemed to want to be more forward in her races. He was surprised with the late kick La Mehana displayed on Friday.

“She never showed that good of a kick before so I guess when you wait she shows a better kick, so maybe we learned something,” Clement said. “She was always very forward in her races in Europe and with me too.”

La Mehana hadn’t run since finishing fifth in the Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park in early July. Clement said La Mehana got sick in Saratoga and missed running up there.

“Mr. Sarf was patient and patience paid off,” Clement said. “She’s a good a filly.”

Clement said he would look to run La Mehana back in the Grade 3, $300,000 Long Island Stakes here on Nov. 10.

Immensitude, trained by Bill Mott, ran a solid second in her first try going 11 furlongs.

“I told Bill two races back we got to either go three-quarters with her or a mile and a half,” jockey Junior Alvarado said. “Today, she ran a hell of a race. She run probably the best race she’s run with me. I think that’s what she wants to do.”

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