Pacific Heat proves uncatchable in Evening Jewel

ARCADIA, Calif. – Pacific Heat has had breathing problems in the past, so the strategy with her, trainer Pete Eurton said, is to let her run free. If she makes the lead, fine. If she wants to sit second, so be it, as long as she’s comfortable.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, she was comfortable running hard from the start on a sloppy, sealed track, and she carried her speed to a front-running victory going 6 1/2 furlongs in the $200,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies.

“We want her to rate, but on this track, you might as well take it to them,” Eurton said.

Pacific Heat ($4.40), the favorite, was part of a contested pace through an opening quarter-mile in 21.56 seconds, emerged with the lead heading into the far turn, and then held safe her rivals to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths and earn her fourth win in six starts.

Run for Retts rallied for second, a neck better than Roo’s Valentine, with Be a Lady fourth.

Pacific Heat was timed in 1:17.38, and though the final time was slow, it was admirable that she kept going after setting a blistering pace of 44.48 for a half-mile.

Flavien Prat rode Pacific Heat, a daughter of Unusual Heat who is owned by a partnership that includes Sharon Alesia, Mike Burns, Joe Ciaglia, and Taylor Legan.

She is a three-time stakes winner, having captured the Golden State Juvenile at Del Mar last fall and the Cal Cup Oaks on turf here in January.