Eda finds more in deep stretch of Great Lady M. to extend amazing streak

CYPRESS, Calif. - Eda extended her 20-month winning streak to six races in Tuesday’s Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes for fillies and mares at Los Alamitos, but only after she held off a brilliant rally from 19-1 Chismosa.

Sent off favored, Eda ($5.80) dueled with 2-1 Elm Drive for most of the race and took the lead in the final strides, winning by a neck over Chismosa, who closed from sixth of nine on the turn.

“She was really game,” said winning rider Juan Hernandez. “When she felt the pressure, she knew it was time to go. She felt that horse on the outside. She didn’t want to get passed by the other horse.”

Eda ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.06 for owners Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp. and trainer Bob Baffert. Eda earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 91.

Chismosa, the winner of two stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies last year, finished a neck in front of Elm Drive.

Eda and Elm Drive set a strong pace of 21.50 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.07 for a half-mile, separated by a half-length for the first six furlongs. Eda led briefly on the backstretch, while racing on the outside of the pair, before Elm Drive took the lead approaching the turn. Eda regained the lead in deep stretch.

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Dance to the Music finished fourth, followed by Awake at Midnyte, Vegas Magic, Pammy’s Ready, Real Fire, and Rose Maddox.

The second-place finish by Chismosa was by far her best result in a six-race career. Chismosa was considered for the $75,000 Pleasanton Oaks for statebred 3-year-old fillies in Northern California on Saturday, but was kept at Los Alamitos to face a tougher field in the $202,000 Great Lady M. Stakes.

“I’m still floating, owner and breeder Jaime Renella said 15 minutes after the race. “This is like a big win for us. We decided to stay home and not go up north for the Pleasanton race. It paid off.

“She changed leads late in the race or we might have taken the picture. She ran an awesome race.”

Eda, a 4-year-old filly by Munnings, has won 7 of 9 starts and earned $592,600. The current winning streak began in late October of 2021 and includes five stakes, notably the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos in December 2021.

Eda had only one start last year, winning the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita. The Great Lady M. Stakes was her second win this year, preceded by a head victory in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race at Santa Anita on April 28.

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