Miss Sunset romps in off-the-turf Irish O'Brien Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Miss Sunset would have run in the Irish O’Brien Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita whether it was on the turf, as originally scheduled, or the dirt, but trainer Jeff Bonde didn’t mind at all that it ended up getting moved, and neither did Miss Sunset.

Miss Sunset won for the ninth time in 15 starts when scoring a romping, front-running win in the $100,345 Irish O’Brien, a sprint for California-bred older females. She checked in seven lengths best, the result never in doubt.

“She’s a machine with a lot of talent,” Bonde said in the winner’s circle. “She’s been a fun horse to say the least.”

Miss Sunset ($3.60) has won a number of stakes restricted to Cal-breds, but she can act in open company, too, as her victory in the Grade 2 Raven Run last fall at Keeneland proved. She gets along particularly well with Mike Smith, who has won with her the last four times they’ve teamed, including last month’s Spring Fever here.

On Saturday, Miss Sunset sprinted right to the front and never looked back. Racing on a track rated good following overnight rain, she set fractions of 22.33 seconds for the quarter, 44.90 seconds for the half, and 1:09.75 for six furlongs en route to a final time of 1:16.30 for 6 1/2 furlongs.

The race was scheduled to come down the hillside turf course, but the rain moved it to the main track.

“Made my day,” Bonde said.

Miss Sunset, 4, is owned by Alan Klein and Phil Lebherz. She earned $60,000 on Saturday and now has career earnings of $738,735.

Cuddle Alert was second, a neck better than Desert Steel. Barbara Beatrice, How About Zero, and Starlite Style completed the six-horse field.