Chanel's Legacy gets the job done in Panthers Stakes
It wasn’t as easy as it was supposed to be, but Chanel’s Legacy won the $65,000 Panthers Stakes on Thursday night at Prairie Meadows.
Favored at odds of 1-5 in a field reduced to six by four scratches, Chanel’s Legacy made a clear lead into the first turn and set splits of 24.33 for her first quarter-mile and 47.94 for a half-mile in the one-mile race. But approaching the quarter pole, pace-stalking Natalie’s Mischief was asked to go after the leader, and she closed to within a length or so at the top of the stretch. Natalie's Mischief was only about a half-length behind at the eighth pole, and continued inching toward the lead all the way to the finish, falling only a neck short of catching Chanel’s Legacy.
Chanel’s Legacy did gallop out in front, and was making her first start since April 14 while prepping for the Iowa Oaks. But Chanel’s Legacy had set the pace and held for second in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn, and here was being challenged by a filly coming off an Oklahoma-bred sprint maiden win at Will Rogers Downs.
Almost six lengths separated Natalie’s Mischief and third-place Conquest Bandido. Chanel’s Legacy, who paid $2.40, was timed in 1:37.77 for a mile on a fast track. Alex Birzer rode the winner for trainer Lynn Chleborad and Allen Poindexter’s Poindexter Thoroughbreds. An Iowa homebred, Chanel’s Legacy is by Dominus and out of the Value Plus mare Chanel Number Mine. The 3-year-old filly now has a record of 5-2-1 from 11 starts.