Harlington's Rose overcomes trouble to take Las Flores

ARCADIA, Calif. – Harlington’s Rose came into this Santa Anita meet still eligible for a first-level allowance condition after 17 starts. She’s a whole lot better than that now.

For the second time this season, Harlington’s Rose scored a stakes victory, but Sunday’s was the biggest yet, her first in graded company, in the Grade 3, $100,250 Las Flores Stakes for older female sprinters.

She had to overcome trouble to do it, for Harlington’s Rose was impacted by the erratic path taken down the backstretch by Global Hottie, who was clearly uncomfortable racing inside horses. Jockey Joe Talamo had to move out of a tight spot on Harlington’s Rose behind Global Hottie, took her outside to rally, and she came home best of all to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:09.64 for six furlongs on the fast main track.

Meinertzhageni just held second by a head over Global Hottie. Tribal Gal was fourth and was followed, in order, by Sagebrush Queen and Liza Doolittle Day. The curiously named mare Patriotic Brother was scratched.

Harlington’s Rose ($12), trained by Steve Knapp, was making her fourth start of the meet, all with Talamo. She won the listed Kalookan Queen on Dec. 28, was third in the Grade 2 Santa Monica on Jan. 19, and then on Feb. 12 was a close third in a second-level allowance.

“You can kind of put her anywhere,” Talamo said. “She definitely gives you a turn of foot.”

Talamo said Global Hottie “got out at the half, then ducked back in, and I had to take up.”

Victor Espinoza, on Global Hottie, said his mount was racing erratically because she hated being inside, and he tried but failed to get her out. “I got in a spot,” he said.

Harlington’s Rose, a California-bred daughter of Harlington, is owned by a partnership that includes Tom Halasz, Ryan Johnson, Paul Newhart, and Martha Miller. Her $60,000 Las Flores paycheck brought her career earnings to $371,040.