Cover Song (30-1) noses past Danilovna in Autumn Miss

ARCADIA, Calif. - Cover Song scored a nose win at 30-1 to win Saturday’s $101,725 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Saturday in what could be the start of an epic finish to the Santa Anita autumn meeting for the Spendthrift Farm of prominent owner B. Wayne Hughes.

Hughes runs Beholder, the three-time champion in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff. His top hope on the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup program is Lord Nelson in the Sprint. Lord Nelson has won three consecutive Grade 1 races in Southern California this year. The autumn meeting ends on Nov. 6.

Cover Song ($63.40) won for the second time in her eight-race career in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at a mile on turf. Ridden for the first time by Kent Desormeaux, Cover Song closed from sixth in a field of 10 to win by a nose over 3-2 favorite Danilovna.

Cover Song was timed in 1:33.73 and survived a lengthy inquiry to preserve the win. The stewards reviewed a bumping incident in early stretch between Cover Song and Danilovna before leaving the order unchanged.

“Turning for home, I tried to pick a spot,” Desormeaux said. “The horse on the outside was pushing her.

“She was in a dogfight and wouldn’t lose. She wasn’t letting anyone go by.”

Cover Song, by Fastnet Rock, has earned $117,695. She was purchased for $450,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Trained by Carla Gaines, Cover Song finished 10th in the minor Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the hillside turf course Oct. 1 in her stakes debut. Saturday’s race was her first start in a graded stakes.

Barleysugar, a 6-1 shot who was a minor stakes winner at Del Mar in July, finished third. She was followed by Lady Valeur, Belvoir Bay, Dreamarcher, Nodiac, Lookout Sister, Sweet Dragon Fly, and Great Page.