Janet gets a Grade 1 win, rocking Ramona at 15-1

DEL MAR, Calif. - After searching north, south, east, and west, trainer Darrell Vienna finally found the right spot for Janet, who got the first Grade 1 victory of her career on Saturday by upsetting heavily favored Tranquility Lake in the $400,000 Ramona Handicap before 17,569 fans at Del Mar.

Janet, the longest shot on the board at 15-1, was forced to sit behind horses on the turn, but burst between rivals at the top of the stretch and proved best in a cavalry charge to the finish. Janet beat Tranquility Lake by a half-length, with Minor Details another nose back in third. Beautiful Noise was a neck farther back in fourth, and she was a neck better than High Walden, meaning the first five finishers were separated by a little more than one length. Timi trailed in the field of six.

Janet covered the 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:48.20 and paid $32.80 to win. David Flores rode the winner, a British-bred 4-year-old daughter of Emperor Jones who Vienna trains for Jed Cohen's Red Baron's Barn LLC.

The Ramona was chosen by Vienna after first considering races with smaller purses, and softer fields, at Hollywood Park and in New York. He finally decided to run at Del Mar, in part because Cohen has a home in the area. Janet got in light, carrying just 116 pounds, seven fewer than Tranquility Lake.

Janet was winning for the sixth time in 16 lifetime starts. She has won three times in her last four starts, including the Grade 3 Yerba Buena Handicap at Bay Meadows on May 12. Her lone loss in that streak came at Belmont Park on June 2 in the Sheepshead Bay Handicap, which was moved to a muddy main track following heavy rain.

"It was a long way to go to not run on the turf," Vienna said.

Minor Details led early, through soft fractions of 24.99 seconds and 48.94 for the first half-mile, with Tranquility Lake just to her outside. Tranquility Lake finally got the best of Minor Details in the shadow of the wire, but Janet scooted past both of them.

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