Leggs Galore starts well, finishes best in Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint
ARCADIA, Calif. - A sharp start led to an easy win for Leggs Galore in Saturday’s $153,500 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, Leggs Galore ($7.20) took her expected position at the front and never faced a significant threat, winning the race for statebred fillies and mares by 2 1/4 lengths over 9-1 Alice Marble.
Leggs Galore and Alice Marble are trained by Phil D’Amato.
“We’ll take the exacta,” D’Amato said. “I’m proud of both my horses. Alice ran a good race in defeat. She tried Leggs Galore every step of the way, but Leggs proved to be at the top of her game fresh.”
Sent off as the second choice, Leggs Galore ran about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:12.99 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95. The Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint was Leggs Galore’s first start since a fourth-place finish in the Solana Beach Stakes for statebred fillies and mares at Del Mar in August.
Leggs Galore, owned and bred by Jack Sims, won the 2021 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint and two other stakes in the late winter and spring last year.
In Saturday’s race, Gonzalez urged Leggs Galore to the front from the start, and ran the opening quarter-mile in 22.27 seconds and a half-mile in 44.66, not particularly fast fractions for the hillside turf course. Leggs Galore led by at least a length on the hillside portion of the course.
“He got her to break so well he was able to control the pace,” D’Amato said of Gonzalez.
Leggs Galore led by about two lengths when the field crossed the dirt track onto the main turf course. Alice Marble trailed by two lengths with a furlong remaining and could not get closer.
“She had an easy lead, the winner,” said Flavien Prat, who rode Alice Marble.
Eddie’s New Dream (9-1) closed from fourth to finish third, followed by 5-2 favorite Warren’s Showtime, Nardini, Sedamar, Rebalation, She’s Devoted, Governor Goteven, California Kook, Super Game, and Smiling Shirlee.
Warren’s Showtime closed from last and was running well at the finish, losing by 4 3/4 lengths.
Leggs Galore, a 5-year-old mare by Bayern, has won 7 of 12 starts and earned $440,208, with all the wins on turf. Leggs Galore has won four stakes, all for statebreds.