Holy Helena finishes powerfully to win Sheepshead Bay

ELMONT, N.Y. – The dawdling pace of the Sheepshead Bay at Belmont Park on Saturday worked against the late-running Holy Helena, but in the end, it didn’t make any difference as she unleashed a torrid rally in the stretch to win the 1 3/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares.

The final eighth of the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay went in 11.92 seconds, and Holy Helena was a little more than a length behind the front-running Palinodie passing the furlong pole. Holy Helena is now 3 for 3 since trainer Jimmy Jerkens switched her to turf for her 4-year-old season.

When the gates opened, Palinodie went to the front while appearing a bit headstrong, but jockey Trevor McCarthy quickly got her to settle down. She set fractions of 24.85 seconds, 50.24, and 1:15.86 with Lottie tracking her a length behind.

Following a mile in 1:41.20 and 1 1/4 miles in 2:04.23, Palinodie was still in front, but Lottie was rallying to her outside. Holy Helena, who was covered up to the stretch, was angled to the outside by jockey Manny Franco and found her best gear.

At the wire, Holy Helena was a half-length in front of Lottie. It was a nose farther back to 6-5 favorite Santa Monica, who raced in last position early and stayed to the inside for the drive. She worked her way between horses and, like the winner, was moving well late.

Palinodie finished fourth, a half-length behind Santa Monica.

“She had to sprint down the lane to win it. She bobbled a little bit, too,” Jerkens said. “These races are always very tricky when the horses all have the same style. Coming into it, I couldn’t tell who was going to be on the lead or anything.”

Holy Helena paid $4.80 in the seven-horse field. She was timed in 2:15.15.

“Man, she was ready,” Franco said. “When I got her outside and she saw light, she took off.”

The Sheepshead Bay, race 6, was Franco’s third consecutive winner on the card.

Holy Helena, a daughter of Ghostzapper, was bred in Canada by Adena Springs and is owned by Frank Stronach. She primarily had a synthetic campaign last year, defeating males in the Queen’s Plate and beating fillies in the Woodbine Oaks.

“When it came time to go to Florida for the winter, we were talking, and it was, ‘Well, should we turn her out for the winter? Try her back on the dirt? Go back to Canada?’ ” Jerkens said. “I said, ‘We’re going to Florida anyway, we might as well freshen her up a little bit, try her on turf, and see if she likes it. There’s really nothing to lose.”

Holy Helena won an optional-claiming race on turf at Gulfstream Park in February. She came back to take the Grade 3 The Very One in March.

Jerkens said he did not have a next race in mind for Holy Helena, but for the immediate future, he planned to keep her in longer filly-and-mare turf races.