Tiznow win marks sixth straight for Fashionably Fast

ARCADIA, Calif. – Fashionably Fast trailed by a half-length after a quarter-mile in the $100,000 Tiznow Stakes for California-bred milers at Santa Anita on Sunday. The 5-year-old gelding was right where trainer Dean Pederson hoped he would be.

Fashionably Fast engaged early leader Tiger Dad on the backstretch and took the lead in the stretch before winning by a half-length over Oliver.

Through the race, Dean Pederson watched in admiration as jockey Tiago Pereira coaxed the 5-year-old Fashionably Fast to race within himself in his stakes debut around two turns.

“He was very relaxed and that’s the main thing I wanted,” Pederson said. “Tiago has done a fantastic job on him in the morning.”

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Fashionably Fast ($4.40) won for the sixth consecutive time, and his fourth straight stakes for statebreds, in the Tiznow. He won the California Cup Sprint at six furlongs in a hard-fought tussle with Lieutenant Dan on Jan. 18 in his only previous start this year.

In the Tiznow Stakes, Fashionably Fast was favored in a field of five. Tiger Dad, making his stakes debut, held an early advantage by as much of a half-length through fractions of 23.28 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.66 for a half-mile.

“I told Tiago, ‘Whatever you do, don’t let that horse get away from you,’” Pederson recalled.

Fashionably Fast raced outside of 7-2 Tiger Dad on the backstretch and turn and took the lead in early stretch. Tiger Dad faded from contention when 2-1 Oliver moved into contention.

“At the quarter pole, I asked him,” Pereira said of the winner. “At the sixteenth pole, he went (when) that horse came to him.”

Fashionably Fast was timed in 1:36.64 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 93.

Jockey Abel Cedillo thought he was on the winner when Oliver moved closer to Fashionably Fast in the stretch.

“He tried,” Cedillo said. “The other horse is a nice horse, too. I thought I’d beat him.”

Oliver won the E.B. Johnston Stakes for statebred milers at Los Alamitos in September and was fourth in the California Cup Sprint.

Tiger Dad held third, followed by Posterize and Ernie Banks in the small field.

Fashionably Fast, by Lucky Pulpit, has won seven of 16 starts and earned $449,745 for owners Harris Farm, Per Antonsen, and John Nicoletti.

The winning streak began in an optional claimer at Del Mar last July. In the final months of 2019, Fashionably Fast won the Harris Farms Stakes at six furlongs at the Big Fresno Fair and the Cary Grant Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar.