Santa Anita: Irish Art wins stakes debut in down-the-hill Uniformity

ARCADIA, Calif. - Irish Art handled the transition from an allowance race to stakes with no difficultly in Sunday’s $75,840 Uniformity Stakes at Santa Anita, suggesting that further improvement is possible for the late-developing 3-year-old colt.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, his third win of the day, Irish Art ($4.80) stalked pacesetter Shred the Secrets through a fast pace of 20.92 and 42.92 seconds on the hillside turf course, took the lead on the main part of the turf course and won by 3 1/4 lengths over Luckarack.

Irish Art ran the about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf in a quick 1:11.62. Luckarack finished a half-length in front of Shred the Secrets in the field of eight.

Owned by Warren Williamson and trained by Carla Gaines, Irish Art has won 2 of 5 starts and $101,480. By Artie Schiller, Irish Art is out of Irish Linnet, a 13-time stakes winner who earned $1,112,555 in the early 1990s.

Irish Art beat maidens in his third start, at Del Mar in September, and was second in an allowance race over a mile on turf in his first start against winners, at Santa Anita on Oct. 1.