Spanish Queen survives trouble to win American Oaks

ARCADIA, Calif. – Spanish Queen gave jockey Brice Blanc more thrills than observers could have known in Saturday’s $400,250 American Oaks at Santa Anita.

Twice in the Grade 1 race at 1 1/4 miles on turf, Blanc said he felt his saddle slip forward, leaving him concerned he would lose control of Spanish Queen, the 7-10 favorite. Blanc was able to salvage the situation, allowing Spanish Queen to win the most prestigious race of her four-race career by three-quarters of a length over Feathered.

Spanish Queen ($3.40) was timed in 2:01.93.

Blanc said his saddle slipped as the field ran into the first turn. Spanish Queen was third at that stage, racing on the rail behind the pacesetter Feathered and Mrs McDougal.

“She was a little aggressive,” Blanc said. “The more I pulled, the more it moved forward. I had to do a little give and take a little bit so it didn’t move forward.”

Blanc guided Spanish Queen off the rail and around Feathered and Mrs McDougal entering the stretch. She trailed by a neck with a furlong to go and took the lead in the final sixteenth with a three-wide rally.

“It slipped a little bit when I made the lead, but it didn’t affect anything,” Blanc said. “I was loaded. She always looks like she’s on the bit. She does it in a way that she’s relaxed. It’s kind of hard to explain. She was waiting for me to pick it up.”

Feathered, who was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies here last November, finished three-quarters of a length in front of an unlucky Consumer Credit. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Consumer Credit was fourth in the stretch and was unable to find running room at a pivotal point. Prat checked Consumer Credit and brought her to the outside before she found her best stride. She was beaten 1 1/2 lengths.

Mrs McDougal faded to finish fourth, followed by Sharla Rae and Dating Lady Luck. The American Oaks is restricted to 3-year-old fillies.

Spanish Queen, a California-bred by Tribal Rule, has won 3 of 4 starts and earned $423,600 for owners and breeders Jack Nakkashian, Harry Bederian and Harout Kamberian.

Spanish Queen is trained by Richard Baltas, who turned 54 Saturday. Baltas was concerned about the four-week turnaround since Spanish Queen’s win in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes on May 3 and the distance. The win answered both questions emphatically.

“You never know if they’ll like the mile and a quarter,” Baltas said.

Spanish Queen was Baltas’s first Grade 1 win since Big Macher won the Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar last July.