ARCADIA, Calif. - A situation that seemed hopeless on the backstretch turned to glory in the final sixteenth for Om N Joy in Saturday’s $125,500 Melair Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita. After a tardy start, Om N Joy was last of six, trailing by as many as nine lengths. Her chances brightened on the turn when she began to close ground. In the final furlong, Om N Joy closed slightly more than 3 1/2 lengths under jockey Kent Desormeaux to catch 15-1 Going Deep, who led by 2 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining. Sent off favored, Om N Joy ($6) won by a half-length. “It was nerve-wracking down the backstretch,” Desormeaux said. :: Playing Santa Anita? Get the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now. “She had no right to win today. She completely got left. She made up a ton of ground in the last quarter-mile. “All the credit goes to her. She won the race.” The Melair Stakes was one of five stakes on Saturday’s program for California-breds. Om N Joy ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.67 for her second consecutive stakes win and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 72. She won the $126,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for statebred 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on April 5. In the Melair, Going Deep was always near the front through a slow pace of 23.48 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48.12 for a half-mile. She followed Fibonaccis Ride, who led to the turn before fading from contention. Going Deep finished a clear second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of 5-1 Lady Mendelssohn. Fibonaccis Ride finished fourth, followed by In the Air Tonight and Sunset Grazen. Miso Phansy, second in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes last Sunday, was withdrawn on Saturday morning. Om N Joy, by Om, races for Jerry and Connie Baker, who bred the filly. They co-own Om N Joy with Michael Golovko and Terrence Scanlan. Om N Joy is trained by Aggie Ordonez. Sneaker steals Fran's Valentine Allowed to set a modest pace, Sneaker was impossible to catch in Saturday’s $101,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes for fillies and mares, continuing a successful start to the year. Sneaker, the winner of a maiden race and two allowance races in 2024, won her first stakes in the Fran’s Valentine, her third start of the year. She finished third in the Irish O’Brien Stakes for statebred fillies and mares in March, her first start since November, and was third in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes on April 26. A return to the California-bred filly and mare division helped the 4-year-old filly reach the winner’s circle on Saturday. “She ran against tougher company last time,” trainer George Papaprodromou said. “I wanted her on the lead. It worked out perfectly.” Sneaker, ridden by Kazushi Kimura, was urged to the front at the start, and led by a half-length through an opening quarter-mile of 23.36 seconds. While Prancingthruparis was within a head for the next half-mile, Sneaker repelled her and won by 2 1/4 lengths over 11-1 Cornelia Fort. Sneaker paid $6.60 and ran a mile on turf in 1:35.88 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81. “I had to be aggressive” after the start, Kimura said. “When I went to the lead, she got comfortable. I knew she’d kick well.” Prancingthruparis, the 2-1 favorite, faded from contention to finish third, beaten 3 1/4 lengths. Shocking Grey was fourth, followed by Quantum Innergy, Ashleys Sandcastle and Blevys Tiger, who was vanned off to trainer Manny Badilla’s barn on the backstretch, according to track stewards. Private Gem takes Thor's Echo Private Gem won for the third time in as many starts this year with a come-from-behind victory in the $100,500 Thor’s Echo Stakes at six furlongs. Benefiting from a quick pace shared by 7-10 favorite Book Smart and 9-1 Tapatio Leo, Private Gem ($7) rallied from fourth in a field of six to win by 3 1/2 lengths, recording his first stakes win. Private Gem, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, ran six furlongs in 1:09.71 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 89. The Thor’s Echo Stakes was Private Gem’s first start on dirt since a second-place finish in the Golden State Juvenile at Del Mar in November 2023. Trained by Mark Glatt, Private Gem did not race in 2024. Earlier this year, Private Gem won a starter allowance and an allowance race in turf sprints. “He’s a really nice horse,” Rispoli said. “He keeps rising. “Mark is doing an amazing job with him. It’s not easy to switch from turf to dirt.” Rispoli had Private Gem in fourth following a rapid quarter-mile of 21.69 seconds. After a half-mile in 44.51 seconds, Book Smart, ridden by Mike Smith, had a half-length lead. Book Smart’s advantage began to diminish in early stretch. “I had a perfect trip,” Rispoli said. “I waited on the turn to see what Mike did and I took the rail. There was enough room to get through.” Final Storm (11-1) closed from last in the final furlong to finish second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Book Smart. Spiritual Advisor finished fourth, followed by Geezer and Tapatio Leo. Private Gem, a 4-year-old colt by Lookin at Lucky, has won 4 of 5 starts and earned $175,090. He was claimed for $50,000 from a win in a maiden race for statebreds at Santa Anita in October 2023 in his debut. Private Gem is owned by Mark Pine and Hans and Anna Maron, who race as Saints and Sinners. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.