Miss Deplorable makes Blue Sparkler first stakes win
Miss Deplorable finished sixth in her first two career starts but found her niche when trainer Baltazar Galvan moved her to the turf. On Saturday, the 3-year-old daughter of Big Drama became a stakes winner in the $60,900 Blue Sparkler at Monmouth Park.
The stakes win also was a first for Galvan, and the second in the career of jockey Carlos Hernandez, who earlier in the Monmouth meet won the Jersey Girl Handicap. Galvan has been training since 2013. Hernandez has been riding since 2016.
In her turf debut in March, Miss Deplorable rallied to finish second, beaten a neck, in a $35,000 maiden-claiming race at Gulfstream Park. She won a maiden special weight at her summer base of Delaware Park in late June prior to the Blue Sparkler, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies.
Elizabeth Darcy sprinted clear early in the seven-horse field through an opening quarter in 22.95. Miss Deplorable challenged her from the outside nearing the far turn and they sped through the second quarter-mile, getting the half in 45.16 and leaving the others well behind.
Miss Deplorable got the best of Elizabeth Darcy in upper stretch. She pulled clear, then was able to hold off the late run of even-money favorite Auldwood Lane by a length.
"The trainer told me to try to break quickly with her and maybe sit second, right off the speed," Hernandez said. "I did that and I felt like I was waiting, waiting, waiting. At the quarter pole it was time to go and we did."
Miss Deplorable paid $27.20 as the second-longest shot in the lineup. She was timed in 1:02.76.
"I have mostly cheaper horses and claimers but this one is a good one," Galvan said. "She acted like a grass horse all along. So we tried her on the grass and she has been very good since."
Auldwood Lane finished well for second but just had too much to do in the stretch. Not in Jeopardy also finished well to be third, three-quarters of a length behind Auldwood Lane and a length in front of fourth-place Elizabeth Darcy.
