Storm the Hill charges to Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes victory

ARCADIA, Calif. - Storm the Hill may never leave Santa Anita again after recording her third stakes win on the track’s turf course in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes.

Storm the Hill ($6.80) rallied from eighth in a field of nine fillies and mares to catch a tiring pacesetter in Painting Corners in the final furlong of the $101,380 race at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course.

When Storm the Hill crossed from the hillside portion of the turf course to the stretch of the turf course, jockey Rafael Bejarano said his confidence soared.

“She had a great turn of foot in the stretch,” Bejarano said. “I would say this is her best performance.”

A 4-year-old by Get Stormy, Storm the Hill has won 5 of 23 starts in her career, with all the wins coming in seven starts on Santa Anita turf. She won the minor Unzip Me for 3-year-old fillies on the hillside turf course in September 2003 and the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at a mile here in June in her first start for current trainer Phil D’Amato.

For a while in the Maddy Stakes, Storm the Hill looked as though she would finish no better than second to the speedy Painting Corners, who zoomed through an opening quarter-mile in 20.92 seconds and reached a half-mile in 42.39.

Painting Corners led by as many as four lengths, but visibly shortened stride in the stretch, allowing Storm the Hill to reach the front and win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Painting Corners, the 8-5 favorite, held second, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of 10-1 Poster Girl, who was followed by Bernina Star, Out of the Flames, Rubilinda, Miss Southern Miss, Travieza, and Go On Mary.

Storm the Hill was timed in 1:12.13 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 97.

Owned by Michael Valdes and Alastar Thoroughbred Company, Storm the Hill has earned $338,735.

D’Amato did not attend the race. He was at Churchill Downs earlier in the day to watch Isotherm finish ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. D’Amato was traveling back to California when the Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes was run and watched the race from Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta.

“Raf sat off of the hot pace, angled out and mowed them down,” D’Amato wrote in a text message. “Great ride and setup.”

D’Amato is Storm the Hill’s fourth trainer, after Buff Bradley, Peter Miller, and Eddie Kenneally.