Santa Anita: Moone's My Name finds right level in American Beauty

ARCADIA, Calif. - An easier group of rivals helped Moone’s My Name win her first stakes in Saturday’s $85,750 American Beauty Stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Moone’s My Name ($10.80) rallied wide in the final furlong to run down stretch leader Unusual Hottie. Moone’s My Name ran a mile in 1:33.23, finishing a length in front of Unusual Hottie. Fanticola finished third in the field of eight.

Moone’s My Name gave trainer John Sadler his seventh win with his last eight runners since March 23, by far his best stretch of the current season.

Moone’s My Name rallied from seventh in a field of eight. One Time Only and Journey On contributed to an honest pace of 22.33 and 45.77 seconds through the first half-mile. Espinoza guided Moone’s My Name wide in early stretch, and got a response when he asked the 6-year-old mare for a run.

Bee Brave, the 2-1 favorite, finished fourth after a wide trip in the final quarter-mile. Golden Production was fifth, followed by Journey On, Oscar Party, and One Time Only.

Moone’s My Name, by Intikhab, has won 8 of 23 starts and earned $199,483. She won an allowance race at Hollywood Park in December, but had struggled in two subsequent stakes – finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes on Dec. 29 and sixth in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes on Feb. 17.

Sadler said the key to victory on Saturday was the competition.

“We got her back in an overnight stakes,” he said.

Moone’s My Name races for the Batchelor Family Trust. She was second in the 2013 American Beauty Stakes in her American debut.