Elle Z leads all the way in Pan Zareta Stakes

Elle Z zipped straight to the front and never was headed posting a 13-1 upset in the $75,000 Pan Zareta Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

A 3-year-old Chris Hartman-trained filly ridden by Mitchell Murrill, Elle Z was making her stakes debut after a front-running Keeneland second-level allowance win turf sprinting in October. She broke like a rocket from post 2, leading pressing Play On through a quarter-mile in 22.18 seconds and a half in 45.39.

Play On, who had won this race in 2019 but was making her first start following a long layoff, took a run at the leader past the quarter pole but never really gained momentum as Elle Z’s resolved stiffened. Past the furlong grounds, Elle Z inched clear and had plenty left to hold off runs from favored Into Mystic, who got second, and Winning Envelope, who finished strongly after a poor start and tagged Play On for third.

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Elle Z stopped the timer in 1:013.13 for 5 1/2 furlongs on a “good” course and paid $28.60 to win. Winning margin was about 1 1/2 lengths.

Hartman trains Elle Z for M Bar O LLC. The filly is by City Zip out of Court Appeal, by Candy Ride, the first foal from the dam, a sister to stakes winners Closing Bell, Hear the Ghost, and Mani Bhavan. Nevertheless, Elle Z sold as a yearling for a mere $7,000 and at an April 2019 auction failed to meet a $72,000 reserve at another sale. She won her debut at Will Rogers Downs this past May, eked out a first-level turf-sprint allowance win at Ellis Park this past summer, and appeared to have peaked in her 47-1 upset at Keeneland before she went out and improved again Saturday.