Go West Marie displays versatility in Fran's Valentine

ARCADIA, Calif. - Sprints on turf and synthetic tracks and one-mile stakes on turf are all within the abilities of Go West Marie.

Saturday, Go West Marie won her fourth stakes since late July, and first at a mile on turf, in the $125,750 Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at Santa Anita.

“Good horses like this, most of them can do about anything,” trainer Eddie Truman said.

Truman, who has won five consecutive races this month, has a truly good filly in Go West Marie, who has won 7 of 20 starts and earned $557,520 in her career.

A strong favorite of eight in the Fran’s Valentine Stakes, Go West Marie closed from sixth in the final quarter-mile to win by 1 1/4 lengths over 7-1 Chati’s On Top. My Monet, a 16-1 outsider, finished third followed by Mangita, Heat Du Jour, Wild in the Saddle, Qiaona, and Chilada.

Go West Marie ($3.40) was timed in 1:38.81 on a firm turf course that has produced slow times in recent weeks. The pace of the Fran’s Valentine was not quick. My Monet set an early pace of 24.33 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.68 seconds for the first half-mile.

Winning rider Gary Stevens had Go West Marie in fifth on the backstretch, racing well off the rail. Stevens said Go West Marie was comfortable despite bumping with Wild in the Saddle on the first turn.

“We were going extremely slow,” Stevens said. “The whole key is to get her to relax. She got bumped and I got her to switch off.”

Turning into the stretch, Go West Marie trailed by 2 3/4 lengths, but the filly produced a quick turn of foot. She was within a head of stretch leader My Monet with a furlong remaining.

“She’s got an explosive kick,” Stevens said.

Truman said the slow pace produced a few anxious moments for him that dissolved as he watched Go West Marie in early stretch.

“What bothered me was she broke so good and she has so much speed,” Truman said. “Gary got her to quiet down. She was fine. It was so slow and he had so much horse.”

Go West Marie, by Western Fame, races for Peter Redekop. Go West Marie won the Fleet Treat Stakes for 3-year-old California-bred fillies on the synthetic track at Del Mar last summer, and two turf stakes for California-bred fillies and mares on the hillside course earlier this year – the Sunshine Million Filly and Mare Turf Sprint and Irish O’Brien Stakes.