Dance to the Music rebounds with triumph in Desert Stormer Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. - After a rocky conclusion to her 2022 season, and a last place in her first start this year, Dance to the Music rebounded to beat three rivals and win her first stakes in Saturday’s Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes at Santa Anita.

The task was made considerably easier with the scratch of morning-line favorite Elm Drive earlier in the day. Trainer Phil D’Amato said Elm Drive was diagnosed with a “warm foot.” He said the setback was minor and that Elm Drive may start in the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes on turf on April 8.

Dance to the Music inherited the role of favorite in the $98,000 Desert Stormer Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs, and ran accordingly under leading jockey Juan Hernandez.

Dance to the Music disputed the pace on the outside of 2-1 Violent Runner through early fractions of 22.30 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.27 for a half-mile. Dance to the Music took the lead in early stretch and pulled clear to win by a length over that rival.

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Hernandez leads all riders at the winter-spring meeting with 11 stakes wins, two more than Flavien Prat.

Dance to the Music ($4.40) was timed in 1:10.45 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 80.

“She showed a lot of heart,” Hernandez said. “She broke sharp. At the quarter-pole, I asked her to pass the inside horse. She kept going.”

Stella Noir (2-1) finished third, 5 1/4 lengths of 9-1 Half Past Twelve.

Dance to the Music, a 4-year-old filly by Maclean’s Music, started in her fifth stakes on Saturday. She was second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in 2021 and second in the 2022 Desert Stormer.

Owned by Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dance to the Music has won 3 of 9 starts and earned $229,080. She was purchased for $575,000 at a 2-year-olds in-training sale in 2021.

Last summer, Dance to the Music finished last of five in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar in her final start of the year. She later underwent throat surgery, trainer Mark Glatt said.

On Feb. 20, Dance to the Music started on turf for the first time in her 2023 debut, breaking slowly and finishing last of nine in an allowance race on the hillside turf course.

“We got off on the wrong foot by running on the turf,” Glatt said. “I was tired of sitting in the barn. Maybe she got something out of it. This was a nice win."

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