Madam Dancealot uses powerful closing kick to win Santa Ana Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Madam Dancealot is one of the smallest horses on the grounds, but she can punch outside her weight class, while carrying top weight, too, as she did on Sunday in the Grade 2, $201,035 Santa Ana Stakes.

Utilizing the strong late kick that has become her calling card and made her the modern-day version of the popular Megahertz, Madam Dancealot rallied from last to first in the eight-horse field under Corey Nakatani to win the 1 1/8-mile grass race for older females while carrying the co-high weight of 122 pounds.

She ran down her Richard Baltas-trained stablemate, Midnight Crossing, in the closing yards to win by a half-length. As the 6-5 favorite, she paid $4.60 to win.

Midnight Crossing finished a half-length in front of third-place Sassy Little Lila, then came Lucy De, How Unusual, Majestic Angel, and Evo Campo. Laseen was officially last. She broke from the gate but then refused to go forward after a few strides and was pulled up by jockey Kent Desormeaux, who trotted her off the course.

“She hasn’t won a Grade 1 yet, but she’s knocking on the door,” Baltas said of Madam Dancealot.

Madam Dancealot, 4, is a daughter of Sir Prancealot who has now won five times in 17 starts. Her biggest previous victory came in the Grade 2 San Clemente last summer at Del Mar, but she also has been second in the Grade 1 American Oaks and third in two more Grade 1 races, the Del Mar Oaks and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

When she first came to this country after being purchased privately in Europe, Madam Dancealot was believed to be a sprinter. But according to Nick Cosato, whose Slam Dunk Racing partnership owns Madam Dancealot, “she’s not only been a complete blessing but a surprise.”

“We totally thought she was just a sprinter, so we kept trying to find spots down the hill, but Richie kept saying he thought she’d route,” Cosato said.

Madam Dancelot earned $120,000 on Sunday to bring her bankroll to $489,775.

Like Megahertz, Madam Dancealot is a European import who has thrived in this country. Megahertz was a multiple graded stakes winner for the late Bobby Frankel in the early 2000s, retiring with 14 wins in 34 starts and earnings of more than $2.2 million. Madam Dancealot hasn’t reached the level of Megahertz just yet, but she’s carving a pretty nice swath.