Printer Friendly Page 

Harlington's Rose rallies for Las Flores score

Harlington's Rose easily drew off from her Las Flores foes (Benoit Photos) Harlington's Rose earned her first graded victory on Sunday when coming with a late run under jockey Joseph Talamo to take the $100,250 Las Flores S. (G3) at Santa Anita Park. Trained by Steve Knapp for Thomas Halasz, Ryan Johnson, Paul L. Newhart, Martha Miller et al, the bay lass ran six furlongs over the fast dirt in 1:09 3/5. The favorites, 2-1 Tribal Gal (Tribal Rule) and even-money Global Hottie (Dixie Chatter), duked it out up front once the gates opened through fractions of :21 3/5 and :44 3/5. Meanwhile, Talamo allowed Harlington's Rose to settle into a stalking position just inside and behind. Meinertzhageni (Stormin Fever) joined the fray up front rounding the turn, challenging and wearing down Tribal Gal and Global Hottie. Harlington's Rose was just beginning her run, though, angling out leaving the turn and powering down the center of the track to easily overtake those three and pull off for the three-quarter length score over Meinertzhageni. "You can put her in any spot and she's definitely a good horse. It was a real nice race. I was able to save some ground on the turn and she came out and just blasted off. I think Steve could have rode her today," Talamo praised his mount.

"I was following Global Hottie and she came out at the half-mile pole so I went inside and she ducked back in so I had to take up a little bit but fortunately I had enough horse to get her momentum going again."

Sent off the 5-1 third pick, Harlington's Rose paid $12 for the win.

"I didn't think we should have got five to one (odds) today. They call me Rodney Dangerfield but I don't mind," Knapp said. "She has developed. When she was two and three she wanted to run off. Now, she's learned how to relax behind horses and this made her a much, much better horse. She's rating well now and the layoff probably helped her out a little bit and she's just sharp right now.

"I really didn't want the rail," he added. "As you could see she got pinched at the three-eighths pole and Joe had to stand on her. He had enough horse that he could go in between and go around but it is what it is. When they're sharp I never scratch."

Harlington's Rose has faced stakes rivals off and on during her time on track. She just earned her first black-type score when taking the Kalookan Queen S. on December 28 to close out her sophomore season, and opened 2015 with a third-place effort in the Santa Monica S. (G2). Runner-up in another pair of stakes as a juvenile and three-year-old, the bay filly has banked $371,040 thus far in her career to go along with a 21-4-5-2 mark.

"I don't know where she's going to run next," Knapp remarked. "She's had a lot of hard races in-a-row so I think I'm going to give her six weeks before I run her again and let her freshen up. I'd like to freshen her up for the next Santa Anita meet coming up (Santa Anita Spring, from April 25-June 28)."

Bred in California by Y-Lo Racing Stables LLC, Harlington's Rose only brought $7,500 as an OBS August yearling before selling for $20,000 as a Barretts October yearling a few months later. The four-year-old filly is the first registered stakes winner out of stakes vixen A Rose for You (Orientate) and counts as her fourth dam multiple Grade 1 queen *Tizna (Trevieres). That mare is also the granddam of Grade 1-placed Cee's Tizzy (Relaunch), who is best known as the sire of Horse of the Year, dual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) victor and leading stallion Tiznow.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com

More Graded Recaps:

Bradester takes flight in Salvator Mile

Dogwood Trail leads to Azalea winner's circle

Grand Bili captures Carry Back

Big Blue Kitten regains United Nations title

Merry Meadow crowned in Princess Rooney

Send this article to a friend