Princess Vivian flies home for Bear Fan Stakes upset

Princess Vivian ($45.80), the second-longest shot in Saturday's $75,000 Bear Fan Stakes at Golden Gate Fields, helped trainer Sergio Ledezma enjoy an even happier birthday celebration Saturday.

The 3-year-old Uh Oh Bango filly was last down the backstretch of the six-furlong stakes for fillies and mares but rallied strongly through the lane, outkicking favored Apache Princess and pacesetting Ima Happy Cat to score a half-length victory in 1:09.55.

Ledezma watched the race from Los Angeles, where he was at his son's birthday party.

“I love both fillies,” he said of Princess Vivian and her stablemate Vronilla Parfait, who ran fifth. “My son was rooting for Vronilla, and my granddaughter was rooting for Princess Vivian. I was just watching both of them.”

Ima Happy Cat, a wire-to-wire winner in the Hastings Stakes at Emerald Downs this summer, took the lead after breaking well. Ima Happy Cat, who bobbled when the ground broke from under her in her previous start, led Lippy and Trina by a length through a 22.42-second opening quarter.

She increased her lead to two lengths through a 22.58 second quarter and was 3 1/2 lengths in front at the eighth pole.

But favored Apache Princess, the runner-up in her past two starts in Santa Anita stakes, was rolling and was second at the eighth pole.

Princess Vivian also was moving up under Catalino Martinez and came flying home, covering the final eighth of a mile in 11.73 seconds. Ima Happy Cat held on for third, another half-length behind Apache Princess.

“They were both flying,” Ledezma said of the stretch run.

Owned by breeder MNM Thoroughbreds, Mary McDonald, Tom Marsh, and Henry Mendoza, Princess Vivian earned $45,000 for her first stakes victory. She has earned $107,632 with three wins, a second, and a third in six career starts.