Spring Lily ($34.80) fights off Selcourt in Kalookan Queen
ARCADIA, Calif. - Spring Lily fought through a pace duel and a threat in early stretch from the heavily favored Selcourt to win her first stakes in Sunday’s $76,200 Kalookan Queen Stakes for fillies and mares at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Evin Roman, Spring Lily ($34.80) finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of 1-5 Selcourt, who won the Kalookan Queen Stakes and two other stakes in 2018. Selcourt was 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs in November.
Spring Lily, owned by Pam and Marty Wygod and trained by John Shirreffs, ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.55. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 82.
The Kalookan Queen Stakes was the first stakes win for Roman since Cruel Intention won the Golden State Juvenile here in November. Roman, 20, was the champion apprentice jockey of 2017.
Spring Lily, the second-longest shot in a field of five, disputed the pace with Lake Time and later Selcourt through fractions of 21.99 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.39 seconds. Lake Time led after a quarter-mile, but was passed by Selcourt on the turn.
Selcourt, who bobbled at the start, had a narrow lead entering the stretch before Spring Lily took command with an inside move.
“I felt I had a lot of filly,” Roman said. “She finished very strong.”
Selcourt finished 3 3/4 lengths in front of Tyfosha, who was followed by Lake Time and Way to Versailles in the field of five.
Roman rode Spring Lily twice in early 2018 – to a win in a maiden special weight race and a third in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes last March.
“The instructions were – you know the filly,” Roman said.
Spring Lily, a 4-year-old filly by Union Rags, has won 3 of 9 starts and earned $147,075. The Kalookan Queen Stakes was her first start in a stakes since she finished 13th of 14 in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf here in October.
