Queen Goddess finds first stakes win on turf in Santa Ana
ARCADIA, Calif. - From the moment Queen Goddess broke out of the post parade before Saturday’s Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita, Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza knew his mount had a leading chance.
“I thought during the warm-up she was feeling good,” Espinoza said. “She was ready to roll.”
The race structure developed in favor of Queen Goddess and Espinoza, resulting in the 4-year-old filly’s first stakes win on turf.
Queen Goddess ($16.60) stalked pacesetter Queen Secretary for the first mile, and took the lead in early stretch en route to winning the $126,500 Santa Ana Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over even-money favorite Going to Vegas.
Quiet Secretary (45-1) led by as many as six lengths on the backstretch, a margin that all but disappeared on the turn when Espinoza urged Queen Goddess.
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“It seems like she was really firing,” Espinoza said. “She was on the bridle, not really hard, but had the energy to go. She doesn’t have that good of a turn of foot. At the three-eighths pole, I let her run.”
Going to Vegas, who won the 2021 Santa Ana Stakes, finished a nose in front of 7-1 Neige Blanche.
Going to Vegas, who was ridden by Umberto Rispoli, was well placed in third on the backstretch, trailing Queen Secretary by about 10 lengths. Going to Vegas was second in the stretch, but could not get closer to the winner.
Going to Vegas had her second start of the month in the Santa Ana, having finished second as the 2-1 favorite in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at a mile on turf on March 5.
“I was worried about that filly, she’s a versatile filly,” Rispoli said of the winner. “My filly just came back in three weeks. She got a little tired.”
Neige Blanche won the Grade 3 Astra Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf in her first start of the year on Jan. 17. She was seventh on the turn, and closed with some interest.
“She was a little late trying to pick it up,” jockey Juan Hernandez said. “She likes to run farther.”
Queen Goddess ran 1 1/4 miles on turf in 1:59.72 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 92.
Closing Remarks finished fourth, followed by Keyflower, Carpe Vinum, Charges Dropped and Quiet Secretary.
Queen Goddess, a filly by Empire Maker, races for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and TOLO Thoroughbreds and trainer Michael McCarthy.
A winner of 4 of 8 starts, Queen Goddess has earned $385,580.
Queen Goddess was fifth in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland last October in her stakes debut, and won her first stakes in the Grade 1 American Oaks here in December. The American Oaks was scheduled for turf, but was run at 1 1/4 miles on the main track because of excessive rain.
In her only previous start this year, Queen Goddess was fifth of six in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on dirt at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 12.