Painting Corners notches first stakes win in Mizdirection

ARCADIA, Calif. – Without stablemate Belvoir Bay in the field, Painting Corners had an easier time in Saturday’s $78,850 Mizdirection Stakes at Santa Anita, leading throughout to record her first stakes win.

Ridden by Joe Talamo, Painting Corners ($3.60) broke sharply from the rail and held an advantage of a half-length early and 1 1/2 lengths in the stretch. Painting Corners ran the opening quarter-mile in 21.18 seconds and a half-mile in 44.21.

Painting Corners won by 1 1/2 lengths over 9-2 Poster Girl, who closed from fourth in the small field of five fillies and mares.

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Painting Corners ran five furlongs on turf in 56.30 seconds and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94. The race was scheduled for about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, but those races were canceled at least through April by track management after Arms Runner suffered a fatal injury in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on March 31.

Go On Mary, the 9-5 second choice, finished third in the Mizdirection, followed by Algorhythmic and Mongolian Shopper.

Painting Corners was fourth in the Las Cienegas Stakes on a wet-fast dirt track on Jan. 12 and fourth in the Wishing Well Stakes at five furlongs on turf on Feb. 16, losing both races to Belvoir Bay. On March 30, Belvoir Bay finished second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on turf against males at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.

Trained by Peter Miller for Altamira Racing Stable and Slam Dunk Racing, Painting Corners has won 6 of 18 starts and earned $265,227. A 5-year-old mare by Pleasant Strike, Painting Corners was second in the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes on the hillside turf course last November.