Sweet Azteca firing on all cylinders into Chillingworth
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Sweet Azteca has won her last two starts in graded stakes by a combined 12 lengths since early July.
Her recent workouts have been so impressive to trainer Michael McCarthy that he has chosen to run the three-time stakes winner in Saturday’s Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes at Santa Anita instead of waiting for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
“Watching her work, I’d rather get a race in her than watch her work 58 or 59 [seconds] every week,” McCarthy said on Wednesday.
Sweet Azteca, owned and bred by Pamela Ziebarth, is one of the top-ranked female sprinters in the nation based on a five-length win in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos in July, and a seven-length win in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 25.
In both of those races at 6 1/2 furlongs, Sweet Azteca led or stalked the pace before taking a commanding lead in early stretch.
The wins leave the 4-year-old Sweet Azteca as a strong favorite in the $100,000 Chillingworth for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs. This race does have a different lineup than her recent starts.
Among six rivals, Sweet Azteca meets two highly promising 3-year-olds for the first time in Hope Road and One Magic Philly.
Hope Road is unbeaten in three starts this year, winning a maiden race and an allowance race, both at six furlongs, and the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile, all by a combined 15 3/4 lengths.
In each race, Hope Road was the odds-on favorite. She set the pace in her sprint wins, and stalked a fast pace in the Torrey Pines at Del Mar on Aug. 31.
Hope Road, trained by Bob Baffert, will have a new rider on Saturday. Kazushi Kimura replaces Juan Hernandez, who is riding Sweet Azteca. Hernandez rode Sweet Azteca at Los Alamitos, but was replaced by Flavien Prat in the Rancho Bernardo. Prat is riding at Aqueduct on Saturday.
One Magic Philly was second to Hope Road in her debut in a maiden race in June, and was perfect in two starts at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar – winning a maiden race by a neck on Aug. 3, and an allowance race by an eye-catching seven lengths on Aug. 31.
In the allowance race, One Magic Philly earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 98, not far below the 101 that Sweet Azteca was given in the Rancho Bernardo.
“She’s won two in a row,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “She really impressed last time with a huge speed figure.”
D’Amato is quick to note how difficult a start against Sweet Azteca may be for One Magic Philly.
“We’ll have to run against one of the favorites in the [Breeders’ Cup] Filly and Mare Sprint,” he said. “We’ll see where we stand.
“If she wins this race, who knows what we’ll do.”
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