Santa Anita: Pontchatrain eyes Grade 1 stakes at Keeneland

ARCADIA, Calif. – Pontchatrain may be bound for Keeneland this spring after winning her fourth consecutive stakes in Monday’s $201,250 Buena Vista Stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Santa Anita.

She is already a history-making filly for Glen Hill Farm.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a horse win four straight stakes,” Glen Hill president Craig Bernick said after the Buena Vista. “We’ve been doing this for 47 or 48 years.”

Bernick is the grandson of Leonard Lavin, who founded Glen Hill Farm in 1966.

Bernick said Pontchatrain will be considered for two Grade 1, $300,000 races at Keeneland on April 12 – the Jenny Wiley over 1 1/16 miles on turf or the Madison over seven furlongs on Polytrack.

In the Grade 2 Buena Vista, Pontchatrain closed from third in a field of 10 to win the one-mile race by a length over Egg Drop, winner of the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park in December.

The Buena Vista was the longest stakes win of Pontchatrain’s career. She won three consecutive sprints on the hillside turf course before Monday’s race – the Unzip Me Stakes in September, the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes in November, and the Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes on Jan. 5.

A start at Keeneland would be her first race at the highest level.

“It would be nice to get a Grade 1 win with her,” Bernick said.

Pontchatrain was purchased for $200,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale and has won 6 of 8 starts and $444,882. Gary Stevens has been aboard Pontchatrain during her four-race winning streak.

“I think if she keeps relaxing for me, we can go even further with her,” Stevens said. “Even if she doesn’t relax, she’s a great miler. She’s a super filly.”

Bittersweet day for Miller

Monday was day of extremes for trainer Peter Miller.

In the second race, his 3-year-old Garen led throughout a maiden special weight race over 1 1/16 miles, his third career start. Miller said that Garen is likely to start in a Kentucky Derby prep race in late March.

But the day ended on a sad note when the Miller-trained He’s Not too Shaby broke down in the stretch of a $28,000 claiming race on the hillside turf course. He’s Not too Shaby, a 4-year-old gelding, was euthanized, according to track officials.

Garen races for Rockingham Ranch. The colt is by Street Cry, and is a half-brother to Invasor, the 2006 Horse of the Year.

“He has the breeding to be a good horse,” Miller said. “We’ll look at a Derby prep next. I think we’ll go out of town.”