Garcia completes busy day winning Las Flores aboard Pretty N Cool
ARCADIA, Calif. - Pretty N Cool capped a fascinating six hours at Santa Anita for jockey Martin Garcia with a win in Sunday’s Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes for fillies and mares.
Sunday morning, Garcia worked two of trainer Bob Baffert’s leading runners – Arrogate, the winner of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28, and Triple Crown contender Mastery.
Garcia will not ride those horses in their next starts - the mounts belong to Mike Smith – but Garcia has been a frequent rider of Pretty N Cool, who won the fourth stakes of her career in the $100,000 Las Flores.
Pretty N Cool ($11.80) was always near the front and won the six-furlong race by 1 3/4 lengths over Constellation, the 4-5 favorite. The Las Flores was the first start for Pretty N Cool since a sixth-place finish in an optional claimer at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar last September.
“She runs well fresh,” Garcia said. “I know her best distance is six or 6 1/2 furlongs.”
Sensitively, the 9-5 second choice, held an early lead through an opening quarter-mile in 21.88 seconds, but was closely tracked by Pretty N Cool, who took the lead with a two-wide move on the turn.
“They were going fast in the beginning, but she was going easy,” Garcia said of his mount.
Pretty N Cool led by four lengths with a furlong to go. Constellation reduced the margin in the final furlong, but could not reach the winner.
Ponder Lea, a 17-1 shot, finished third, followed by Sensitively and Watch This Cat.
Pretty N Cool, a 4-year-old filly by Scat Daddy, has won 5 of 11 starts and earned $498,905. She won the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at 2 in August 2015, and was second to the champion Songbird in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante a month later. Later in her 2-year-old season, Pretty N Cool won the Grade 2 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park.
Last year, Pretty N Cool won the minor CERF Stakes at six furlongs, her only win in four starts. Pretty N Cool races for Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman.