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Mauralakana narrowly best in The Very One Wet turf course conditions at Gulfstream Park on Saturday resulted in the switching of several undercard races to the main track, and the reduction of the co-featured $100,000 The Very One H. (G3) from 1 3/8 miles to 1 1/8 miles. That proved just enough distance, however, for second choice MAURALAKANA (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]) to rally between rivals to score by a neck in a blanket finish over 10-1 longshot Tejida (Rahy), who was just a head in front of Herboriste (GB) (Hernando [Fr]). The race to complete the superfecta was also close, with 2-1 favorite J'ray (Distant View), a head behind Herboriste, edging the pacesetting longshot Eclisse (Fr) (Ski Chief) by a neck. Mauralakana paid $8.40, $5 and $4. The exacta returned $80.40, the trifecta $412.40, and the $1 superfecta (5-9-11-4) was worth $841.10. Tejida yielded $11.60 and $8.20 for second, and Herboriste gave back $4.60 for show. Cliffrose (Ger) (Monsun), Hostess (Chester House), Archstone (Arch), and Lady Tropicana (Cloud Hopping) completed the order of finish. Wine and Dyne (Dynaformer) and Duchess Royale (Ire) (Danehill) were late scratches. Rating in midpack behind a slow pace, Mauralakana made steady advancement around the far turn under jockey Rene Douglas, angled off the rail in the stretch to take aim at the leaders, and was up in time in a tight finish. Mauralakana covered the distance in 1:49 4/5 over a yielding turf. She improved her record to 21-7-2-3 and her career earnings now stand at $562,592. Mauralakana's win was the sixth for trainer Christophe Clement in The Very One. Bred by SARL Classic Breeding & M. Hassan, Mauralakana was trained prior to this year by Patrick Biancone, who conditioned the five-year-old to a second-place finish in the 2006 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland and a victory in the 2007 Locust Grove H. (G3) at Churchill. Mauralakana also placed in Glens Falls H. (G3) and Noble Damsel H. (G3) last year. Before joining the Biancone barn, Mauralakana was a Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed in France. Purchased by Robert Scarborough for $900,000 last November at the Keeneland Sale of Breeding Stock, Mauralakana was eventually sent to Clement at his Payson Park barn in Florida, and The Very One marked her first start for new connections. Jimkana (Double Bed [Fr]), the dam of Mauralakana, won just once in 41 starts in France, but has reared two stakes winners from as many foals to race. Petit Calva (Desert King), a half-sister to Mauralakana, won two listed events and placed in a French Group 3 event.
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