Ruby Nell shrugs off stumble at start en route to Autumn Miss Stakes triumph

ARCADIA, Calif. - A bad stumble at the start could not keep Ruby Nell from stealing Sunday’s Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita.

Ruby Nell set a scorching pace in the one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies and kept her wide-margin advantage throughout, winning by 3 1/2 lengths for her second stakes win and third win in her last four starts.

“We knew with a bunch of scratches she was the lone speed,” winning rider Edwin Maldonado said. “She won it her way. She was aggressive.”

Starting from the outside in a field of seven, Ruby Nell left Maldonado briefly unbalanced when she stumbled. The rider and filly recovered quickly to lead by as many as 10 lengths on the backstretch, through fractions of 22.61 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.46 for a half-mile.

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Ruby Nell led by six lengths with a furlong remaining, maintaining a comfortable lead en route to winning her first graded stakes win.

Anisette, the 7-10 favorite, emerged from behind fillies to finish a clear second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of 9-1 Breath Away.

Justique, Coffee in Bed, Tea N Conversation and Impact Warrior completed the order of finish in the $101,000 race.

Ruby Nell ($7.60) ran a mile on turf in 1:32.67 and was given a Beyer Speed Figure of 95, a career-best.

Ruby Nell is trained by Richard Mandella, who turned 73 on Sunday. Mandella had three stakes wins at Santa Anita over the weekend, including two stakes on Saturday.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Ruby Nell is by Bolt d’Oro and was purchased for $1.2 million at a 2-year-olds in-training sale in March 2022. Ruby Nell has won 4 of 8 starts and earned $258,920.

Ruby Nell won an allowance race at Del Mar in July before finishing fourth behind Anisette in her stakes debut in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in August.

Ruby Nell won the Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the hillside turf course on Oct. 1, closing from eighth in a field of 10.

The win on Sunday was similar to her running style at Del Mar.

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