Cilla outfinishes Souper Sensational to upset Prioress Stakes
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The well-traveled Louisiana-bred filly Cilla conquered New York on Saturday, outfinishing odds-on favorite Souper Sensational to upset the Grade 2, $250,000 Prioress Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga.
Under Tyler Gaffalione, Cilla raced inside of Souper Sensational down the backside as the pair were third and fourth behind dueling leaders Edie Meeny Miny Mo and Oxana. Oxana dropped back after an opening quarter in 22.25 seconds.
Cilla and Souper Sensational, under Ricardo Santana Jr., moved in tandem toward Edie Meeny Miny Mo around the turn.
Those two tackled Edie Meeny Miny Mo in upper stretch and in midstretch it looked as though Souper Sensational was going to go on by Cilla. But Cilla battled back under Gaffalione’s urging and was able outfinish Souper Sensational to the wire to win by a half-length.
The two fillies brushed twice, and Santana claimed foul against Gaffalione, but the stewards let the result stand.
“It’s not the way you want to do things, you want to ride a clean race, keep a straight path, but my filly was just getting a little bit tired and every time I hit her she wanted to come out a little bit,” Gaffalione said. “But we never crossed that line. I was pretty confident we were going to stay up.”
Mark Casse, trainer of Souper Sensational, agreed with the stewards call to let the result stand.
Santana “thought it cost her momentum when [Cilla] hit her, she stopped running, but these are big races, it has to be clear-cut, and I don’t think it was,” Casse said. “I think the right decision was made.”
Cilla, a Louisiana-bred by California Chrome owned by Dale Ladner, was officially saddled by Charlton Baker for the Prioress. Brett Brinkman is the regular trainer of Cilla but said the process for an out-of-state trainer to get a New York license is “a nightmare.” Brinkman, based at Delaware Park, said the groom of Cilla, Lisa Whitaker, previously worked for Baker, which is why he shipped the filly to him.
Brinkman was in the winner’s circle Saturday, after Cilla won her third straight stakes following victories at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana in June and the Blue Sparkler at Monmouth in July.
“There are limited opportunities for those fillies, we thought after we got her on track a couple of races ago we’d let her buy her way to the next one and obviously she bought her way to this one,” Brinkman said.
Cilla covered the six furlongs in 1:10.05 and returned $23.40 to win, and got an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.
Souper Sensational, who won the Grade 3 Victory Ride at Belmont in June and was second to Bella Sophia in the Grade 1 Test here in August, finished 1 1/4 lengths clear of Li’l Tootsie on Saturday. Oxana was fourth, followed by Edie Meeny Miny Mo. Amendment Nineteen scratched to point for a race further in distance, trainer Brad Cox said.