Lost shoe hampered Her Emmynency in Santa Ana

ARCADIA, Calif. - Her Emmynency, last of five as the 4-5 favorite, lost a shoe shortly after the start of Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita, trainer Kristin Mulhall said.

Mulhall said the shoe likely was dislodged when Her Emmynency ducked sharply to the inside shortly after the start, forcing jockey Joe Talamo to keep her from striking the inside rail. Her Emmynency took the lead shortly after that incident. She led to the turn before fading to finish 3 3/4 lengths behind race winner Tuttipaesi.

“I think that killed everything,” Mulhall said.

Her Emmynency, who is owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, won the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland last October, the most prestigious win of her career. Mulhall said Her Emmynency will be pointed for the $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes at a mile on turf on May 5, the opening day of the Santa Anita spring-summer meeting.

The winter-spring meeting ends on April 10. The Los Alamitos spring meeting runs from April 14 to May 1. Mulhall is hoping that spring weather will make the Santa Anita turf course more firm, which could better suit Her Emmynency.

The course is scheduled to be replaced this summer, with turf racing scheduled to cease on June 20. The spring-summer meeting runs through July 10.

Tuttipaesi won the most prestigious race of her career in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes. The 6-year-old mare is owned by Valor Ladies and is trained by Bill Mott.