Hollywood Park: Quiet Oasis takes Royal Heroine in three-horse photo

INGLEWOOD, Calif.- Quiet Oasis has grown up quite nicely during the Betfair Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting.

A filly once prone to being overeager early in her races has learned to settle. The results at the current meeting include a win in the Grade 3 Wilshire Handicap in April, a second in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes in May, and a win in Saturday’s $150,000 Royal Heroine Stakes over a mile on turf.

Ridden by Mario Gutierrez in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine, Quiet Oasis ($8) closed from fifth in a field of eight fillies and mares to edge Mega Dream by a head, finishing in 1:35.06. Mega Dream, the winner of the Great Lady M Stakes for turf sprinters on May 27, outfinished pacesetter Briecat by a head.

Nereid finished fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner, and was followed by Ninth Infantry, Up In Time, City to City, and All Star Heart, the 8-5 favorite. All Star Heart was being urged by jockey Brice Blanc with three furlongs remaining and was out of contention by early stretch.

The Grade 2 Royal Heroine was the second career stakes win for Quiet Oasis, who is trained by Ben Cecil.

“The problem with her before she was headstrong,” Cecil said. “She’s gotten more settled. I think she will go further.”

Quiet Oasis, a 4-year-old Irish-bred filly by Oasis Dream, has won 4 of 10 starts and $262,379.

Quiet Oasis’s victory came on a poignant day for Gutierrez and owners Paul and Zillah Reddam. Earlier in the day, their I’ll Have Another, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in the spring, was paraded before an adoring crowd.

Retired because of a tendon injury the day before the Belmont Stakes last month, I’ll Have Another is scheduled to go into quarantine on Sunday, in advance of being sent to Japan for stud duty in 2013