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America-loving Aruna prevails in Mrs. Revere
Cutting the corner into the stretch, Wild Mia burst through to take command. Meanwhile, Ramon Dominguez had angled Aruna out for the drive and went after the leader. Although Wild Mia responded under pressure, she could not contain the assault of Aruna. The winner asserted her class in the final furlong to complete 1 1/16 miles on the good turf in 1:46. "She has been doing everything right," Dominguez said. "I was happy to see that she was sharp today. She put herself in the race earlier than usual. She was a little handy, but wasn't too rank by any means. When it's time to pick it up, she is always there for you. She's pretty classy. I don't know how good she can be. Everything she has faced, and every scenario she has faced, she has been great. And today she was closer and able to fire." "I was impressed with her today because she was just so much sharper earlier," Motion said. "I don't know if it was the incident in the gate, but she started very on-the-muscle. She's been very relaxed in her races and I just thought Ramon did a great job to keep her settled long enough so that when he did finally turn her loose, she had plenty left. "Usually, when they're that keen early, they don't finish up. I'm just glad Ramon stuck with her and I think it made a big difference today, because he really knows her and had a lot of confidence in her. I think every time she runs, she's improved. She's done so well for this race." "She has been nothing but classy since we've had her," assistant trainer Heather Craig said. "The first time I encountered her was at Saratoga and she was so well behaved and really classy training in the mornings. After what happened in the gate, Ramon said she got a little wound up, but considering what happened with the horse next to her flipping over, she behaved very well and ran the way she always does." Wild Mia held second by a neck from the rallying Fugitive Angel (Alphabet Soup). The runner-up paid $7.40 and $4.80 as the 7-1 fourth choice in the 10-filly field. Fugitive Angel, the co-second choice at almost 3-1, furnished $2.80 to show. The exotics totaled $48.60 (exacta), $141.20 (trifecta) and $361.60 (5-2-6-7 superfecta) with the other co-second choice, Snow Top Mountain (Najran), another half-length away in fourth. Stars to Shine (Tale of the Cat) got up for fifth, followed by In the Slips (More Than Ready), Dade Babe, Ice Mist, La Cloche (Ghostzapper) and Quiet by Seven (Quiet American). Aruna's first graded coup nearly doubled her earnings to $256,887 from her 8-4-1-1 record. Highly thought of by her original trainer Jonathan Pease in France, the dark bay placed in a couple of hot maidens last year, beaten by the likes of Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune), Anna Salai (Dubawi) and Rosanara, before earning her initial win at Saint-Cloud. Aruna, who was promptly put away for the winter, resurfaced in the April 25 Prix de la Grotte (Fr-G3) and finished a creditable fourth to Anna Salai in that recognized classic trial. Unfortunately, Aruna couldn't build on that effort when only sixth to Sarafina (Refuse to Bend [Ire]) in the May 23 Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-G1). She had become a bleeder, effectively ending her prospects in France. Repatriated to America for the benefit of Lasix, Aruna wasted no time in getting back on track. She closed from last in an entry-level allowance at Saratoga on Labor Day, defying the pronounced speed bias, and quickly followed up with a three-length score in the Pebbles S. at Belmont Park on Columbus Day. The Kentucky-bred Aruna is out of Grade 2 heroine Surya (Unbridled), whose latest offspring are an unraced juvenile filly named Namaskara (Giant's Causeway), an unnamed yearling colt by Giant's Causeway and a weanling colt by Harlan's Holiday. With her fourth dam being Grade 2 winner Kittiwake (*Sea-Bird), Aruna hails from the family of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Miss Oceana (Alydar), French Group 1 scorer Kitwood (Nureyev), English Group 1 diva Magic of Life (Seattle Slew) and recent Canadian International (Can-G1) winner Joshua Tree (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]). Plans call for Aruna to winter in Florida. "I'll speak with Alan Cooper, who manages Flaxman Holdings, and we'll come up for a plan for next year," Motion said. "I definitely won't run her again this year and I won't be in a hurry to run her next year. "We'll probably look for something, maybe even Keeneland in the spring. But I'm not going to be in a big hurry to run her early on in the year."
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