Neige Blanche holds off Red Lark in CTT & TOC Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. - Neige Blanche saved ground for most of Saturday’s $85,500 CTT & TOC Stakes, at least until she rallied between rivals in early stretch in a winning move.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Neige Blanche ($9.40) took the lead in the final furlong and held off a game rally from 7-2 Red Lark to win by a half-length. Neige Blanche ran 1 3/8 miles on turf in 2:17.45 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 91.

“I was trying to save ground and make one run at the end,” Hernandez said. “My filly is a pro. She came through that little spot. She fired from the quarter-pole to the wire.”

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With a little more than a furlong remaining, Neige Blanche rallied between stretch leader Tapwater and Rideforthecause to take the lead.

Tapwater, the 2-1 favorite, finished third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Rideforthecause finished fourth, followed by Crystalle, Global Brand, Catch the Eye, and Ippodamia’s Girl.

Red Lark won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in 2020.

Neige Blanche, 4, is a French-bred filly by the Anabaa stallion Anodin who races for the partnership of Madaket Stable, Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify, and Mathilde Powell. Neige Blanche is trained by Powell’s husband, Leonard.

De Seroux is a former trainer best known for her work with 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri.

Neige Blanche has won 5 of 13 starts and earned $237,720. The CTT & TOC Stakes was Neige Blanche’s third stakes win. She won the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre in France in June 2020 in her final start in that country, and the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Santa Anita on May 8.

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