Nasty holds off Counterparty Risk in Lady of Shamrock

ARCADIA, Calif. - The one-mile distance of Saturday’s $85,550 Lady of Shamrock Stakes at Santa Anita was the perfect trip for the speedy filly Nasty.
Nasty took a commanding lead in the first half of the turf race and held off a furious rally from the East Coast invader Counterparty Risk to win her first stakes in the final race of the 11-race program on the opening day of the track’s winter-spring meeting.

Ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez, Nasty ($15.80) was timed in 1:34.22. Nasty earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88, equaling a career-best.

Counterparty Risk, a maiden race winner for trainer Chad Brown at Aqueduct on Nov. 20, nearly caught the winner, missing by a head. Counterparty Risk (3-1) closed from ninth in a field of 10 to finish a half-length in front of 2-1 Warren’s Showtime.

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On Mars finished fourth in her stakes debut, followed by Applecross, Moonhall Milly, Beguiled, Annangel, Last First Kiss, and Miss Extra.

Nasty set a pace of 22.94 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.20 seconds in the first half of the Lady of Shamrock Stakes, leading by more than three lengths.

Nasty was third in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf here in October, but fifth after failing to make the lead in an allowance race at a mile on turf against older fillies and mares at Del Mar on Nov. 28.

By Street Sense, Nasty is owned by Larry, Nancy, and Jaime Roth’s LNJ Foxwoods and trained by Richard Baltas. Nasty has won 3 of 8 starts and has earned $105,020.

Bought for $230,000 as a yearling, Nasty began her career in the Midwest with trainer Brad Cox and was transferred to Baltas in late summer.