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Tamarind Hall leads longshot parade in Bed o' Roses; Hilda's Passion sixth
"Honestly, I really thought we'd be running for second," Englehart admitted. "I didn't think there was a shot of beating Hilda's Passion." Perhaps the handwriting was on the wall early for the prohibitive favorite and 124-pound highweight, who didn't blitz to the lead as usual. Tamarind Hall was quickest into stride, but eased back and allowed Curlina (Cuvee) to show the way. Hilda's Passion, in a complete role reversal from the June 4 Vagrancy H. (G2), now found herself pressing Curlina through fractions of :22 3/5 and :45 2/5. Bridgejumpers might have felt assured when Hilda's Passion moved up to engage Curlina on the far turn, but her bid was surprisingly short-lived. Tamarind Hall suddenly sliced between Hilda's Passion and the rail-skimming Curlina in a bold stroke by jockey David Cohen. In a few strides, she bounded clear before the rest of the field knew what happened. Tamarind Hall built up a six-length margin through six furlongs in 1:10, and went on to complete seven furlongs in 1:23 4/5 on the fast track. "In the post parade, she was so strong, on-game," Cohen said. "Whatever I was, 15-1, she didn't give me that feeling -- really a strong horse. "I could have moved at any time. There was a nice gap between Javier (Castellano on Hilda's Passion) and Ramon (Dominguez on Curlina) on the turn, and I kind of got her into that to get her part of the race and put her into position. "When I asked her to go into that hole, she just responded where I didn't want to take anything away from her. She went right through it, and opened by three, four, five lengths within jumps. I just let her be happy and let her do her thing." "Everything she does, she does like it's a walk in the park," Englehart said. "I was a little nervous after she broke in front and we took back. I said to myself, 'It doesn't look like they're going that fast,' and I didn't think we'd be able to make it up. It looked like around the turn that David was still pretty confident. Once he asked her to go through the hole, she just exploded." With the pace factors both fading badly down the stretch, the minor awards fell to the opportunistic closers. Runner-up Kid Kate rallied from fifth, and Spa City Princess came from last in the seven-horse field to take the show spot. Christine Daae (Giant's Causeway) was a non-threatening fourth, followed by Curlina, Hilda's Passion and a tailed-off Comic Marvel (Distorted Humor). Owned by Eklektikos, Tamarind Hall now sports a mark of 18-7-1-2, $198,204. The four-year-old filly competed in claiming races for her first nine career starts. She romped in a $25,000 maiden claiming event at Tampa Bay Downs in March 2010, and two months later, she was claimed from owner/breeder Eugene Melnyk for $20,000 out of a winning effort at Woodbine. Tamarind Hall began to improve after joining Englehart, her third trainer, last fall. She was coming off a career-best, 7 3/4-length rout in a June 11 allowance at Finger Lakes. "Ever since I got her back to Finger Lakes, she's just been a different horse from the winter," Englehart said. "She's just been powerful. In her last race she ran a real big number (104 BRIS Speed figure), and she came out of it just as good." The Florida-bred is the second registered foal from Turner's Hall (Forest Wildcat), runner-up in the Selene S. (Can-G1). Her first foal was the stakes-placed Halton (Carson City), and she has since produced the unraced sophomore colt Plymouth Square, a full brother to Tamarind Hall; an unraced juvenile filly named Frere Pilgrim (Indian Charlie); and a 2011 colt by Harlington. Tamarind Hall's third dam is multiple stakes queen Our First Delight (First Balcony), and further back in the family, one finds Terrang (*Khaled), a California handicap star of the late 1950s.
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