Minks Aprise overcomes shaky start to win Camilla Urso

Things may not have gone as planned for favored Minks Aprise at the start of the $55,375 Camilla Urso at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday but they certainly did in the stretch.

Minks Aprise, a Northern Afleet filly, was pinched back and took up about 10 strides into the race, and she dropped back to last in the field of six older fillies and mares.

She was 8 1/2 lengths behind pacesetting Fast and Foxy down the backstretch and was 4 1/2 lengths back and finally could be seen in the track’s pan shot of the race at the quarter pole.

But jockey Russell Baze had her in gear and Minks Aprise ($5.20) moved up wide into contention by the eighth pole and quickly took the lead and pulled clear to win the six-furlong stakes by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:09.54 over recently claimed Toomuchisnotenough. Fast and Foxy was third, another one-half length back and a neck in front of Dr. Fager’s Gal.

Minks Aprise scored her third straight win at Golden Gate after running second in her career debut here.

“She always trained like a horse who was going to be a real nice filly. She ran like it today,” said Baze. “I expected her to run as well as she did today. I just didn’t expect to be that far back."

She earned $30,350 for KMN Racing LLC, which purchased her for $70,000 as a yearling at the September 2013 Keeneland sale. The victory was her first in a stakes and gave her four wins in eight career starts for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. She has career earnings of $105,416.

Owner Kevin Nish said, “She was one of three horses we got out of the same sales, and now all three as stakes winners. We thought she was the best one. The others are Lutine Belle and Lindisfame.”