Proud Emma finds first graded stakes win in Bayakoa

CYPRESS, Calif. - When they meet, there is not much between the 4-year-old fillies Proud Emma and Message.

Proud Emma and Message finished in a dead heat for the win in the restricted Tranquility Lake Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 28 in their first meeting. In Sunday’s Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos, Proud Emma beat Message by a half-length for her first graded stakes win.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Peter Miller, Proud Emma ($11.20) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.40, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 86.

Proud Emma did not take the lead until the final furlong, a strategy that mirrored a pre-race discussion between Hernandez and Miller.

“Peter told me to settle and wait for the stretch,” Hernandez said. “It looked like there was a lot of speed. I was waiting behind (Message) to make my move.

:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.

“When I got to the stretch, I asked her and she responded well. She gave me all she had.”

Message (2-1) finished six lengths clear of third-place finisher Stellar Sound, the 6-5 favorite. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Stellar Sound stormed to the front around the first turn and into the backstretch. She yielded the lead to Message on the turn, but stayed on to finish third.

Miss Stormy D finished fourth in her first start since February, and was followed by Blue Diva and Donut Girl.

Proud Emma, by Include, races for Gem, Inc., and Tom Kagele. After the Tranquility Lake, Proud Emma was last of four in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Sept. 27 and last of seven in the restricted Kathryn Crosby Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Oct. 31.

The $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes was Proud Emma’s sixth appearance in a graded stakes in her 16-race career. A six-time winner, Proud Emma has earned $304,658.