Three Witches' Santa Monica victory a first for Prat

ARCADIA, Calif. – A late-season 2023 campaign stamped Three Witches as a key player in the filly-mare sprint division, and on Saturday at Santa Anita she picked up where she left off.

Making her first start for a new owner, trainer and jockey, Three Witches ($5.20) cruised to a 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes. The race was the first by Three Witches since she finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4.

A lot changed since. Three Witches subsequently sold for $1.7 million at a Kentucky auction, transferred to trainer Michael McCarthy in California, and switched Saturday to Flavien Prat.

Three Witches, winner of the Grade 3 Princess Rooney in October at Gulfstream Park, was making her first start Saturday for Chinese billionaire and horse owner Yuesheng Zhang. The 5-year-old mare’s 1:23.21 victory in the seven-furlong Santa Monica re-established her as a premier female sprinter.

:: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets.

The plan Saturday for Three Witches and Prat was to not allow lone front-runner Hot Peppers to shake loose in the Santa Monica. Prat was aware of his rival’s pace advantage, and planned to negate that edge by putting Three Witches into the race early.

“I just didn’t want to let (Hot Peppers) on her own,” Prat said. The plan worked perfectly. Three Witches broke like a shot, Hot Peppers quickly made the lead, and Prat eased Three Witches to the outside to press the pacesetter. The rest is history.

Hot Peppers was under a ride on the turn, but Prat was sitting virtually motionless on Three Witches. She cruised to the lead, opened up, and was never threatened. After runner-up Chismosa, the 3-4-5 finishers were Kirstenbosch, Hot Peppers and Cliquish. Rose Maddox scratched.

The win was the first Santa Monica victory for Prat, who won three graded stakes Saturday including the Grade 3 Megahertz with Bellabel and Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis with Nysos. The win by Three Witches also was the first Santa Monica for her trainer. McCarthy said Three Witches is the first horse he has trained for Zhang.

“I can’t say thank you enough to (Zhang) and everybody involved for sending her to us,” McCarthy said. “Quite a nice surprise.”

Three Witches, by Into Mischief, has won four races and $417,970 from nine starts. Although the Santa Monica often produces starters for the Beholder Mile, McCarthy said before the race he planned to keep Three Witches around one turn.

The major filly-mare sprint stakes this spring are out of town and include the Grade 1 Madison on April 6 at Keeneland, and Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on May 7 at Churchill Downs. Like the Santa Monica, those races both are seven furlongs.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.