Last Leaf makes Azalea third stakes victory of year

Last Leaf sped to her third stakes victory of the year when drawing clear by 3 1/2 lengths Saturday in the $75,000 Azalea Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Miguel Vasquez, the leading jockey at the ongoing spring-summer meet, gave a flawless ride when breaking from the outside post in a field of seven 3-year-old fillies aboard Last Leaf, who returned $5.80 as second choice when getting seven furlongs in 1:23.02 over a fast track. The daughter of Not This Time is trained by Ron Spatz for the Monarch Stables of Frank Bertolino.

Maryquitecontrary was along late to be second in a three-way photo with Stellar Ride (third) and Ha’ Penny (fourth). Poiema, who set the pace as the 3-2 favorite before giving way at the quarter-pole to the rallying Last Leaf, faded to fifth.

Last Leaf now has won three of her last four starts, all stakes. She won the Melody of Colors during the championship meet in March and the Game Face in June. The Azaela resulted in a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

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“This was a perfect race for her,” Spatz said. “We all went into the race a little concerned about Poiema’s monster race last time, but I loved the post position. She got to sit just off it and she inhaled them.”

The $2 exacta (7-3) paid $72, the $1 trifecta (7-3-5) returned $200.60, and the 10-cent superfecta (7-3-5-4) was worth $83.63.

Two races later, Novo Sol ($5.40) led a 1-2-3 finish from the leading stable of Saffie Joseph Jr. when capturing the $48,000 Hallandale Beach by two lengths. Novo Sol, a 5-year-old Brazilian-bred horse owned by Daniel Alonso, earned a 90 Beyer when outkicking stablemates Calibrator (second) and Renaisance Frolic (third), finishing a mile and 70 yards in 1:42.88 over Tapeta.