Gotta Have Her finally fulfilling her potential

ARCADIA, Calif. - Gotta Have Her needed a few warm-up seasons to figure out racing.

"She's got a ton of raw talent," trainer Jenine Sahadi said. "It's been a project to get her to settle down. She's been a bit of a slow learner."

Gotta Have Her has made it worth Sahadi's wait. The 5-year-old Gotta Have Her won her third stakes of 2009, and second consecutive added-money event in Saturday's $100,000 at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meet.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Gotta Have Her ($5) rallied from sixth in a field of nine fillies and mares to win the Grade 3 Maddy by two lengths. Baze guided Gotta Have Her along the rail in the stretch and finished about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:12.09.

Pasar Silbano, a 21-1 outsider and the only 3-year-old field, set the pace, leading by as many as three lengths, and held second, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front of 7-2 Tuscan Evening.

Baze has been Gotta Have Her's regular rider for most of this year, which includes a win in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Handicap on the hillside turf course in April and the Grade 2 Palomar Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 9.

"She's a delight," Sahadi said.

Owned by Green Lantern Stable, Gotta Have Her has won 8 of 23 starts and $720,608. She won 4 of 15 starts prior to this year, and has won 4 of 8 starts this season.