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Intangaroo gets up late in Humana Distaff

Intangaroo (far outside) got her picture taken under the famed Twin Spires (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com) Tom Grether Farms' INTANGAROO (Orientate) ran near the rear of Saturday's $334,800 Humana Distaff (G1), circled three wide rounding the turn and rallied down the stretch to just get her head on the line to score her second Grade 1 victory. With Alonso Quinonez aboard, the Gary Sherlock-trained miss was sent off the 14-1 sixth choice in the eight-horse field and paid out $30, $12.40 and $6.80. "She really vindicated her win in the (February 2) Santa Monica (H. [G1])," Sherlock said. "A lot of people thought she lucked out in that race. But she's a great filly and I always felt that way. "I wouldn't have come all this way just to be here," he added. "The goal has been the Breeders' Cup (Distaff [G1]) all the time." A row of distaffers lined up in the gate and proceeded to stretch out across the track when the doors opened. Sugar Swirl (Touch Gold) held a very narrow advantage through the first quarter in :22 1/5 while racing on the outside, but was pressed all the way by Miss Macy Sue (Trippi), Graeme Six (Graeme Hall) and Hystericalady (Distorted Humor) to her immediate inside. Those four continued down the backstretch through a half-mile in :44 1/5, but Hystericalady asserted her class and pulled clear in the stretch by 1 1/2 lengths. The relentless pace had token its toll on the game mare, though, and she couldn't hold off the determined late rush of Intangaroo, who finished seven furlongs in 1:22 on the fast dirt.

Baroness Thatcher (Johannesburg) came five wide down the lane to grab second by a nose over Hystericalady, returning $14.80 and $7.20 as the 16-1 seventh pick and ending the $454.40 exacta. Hystericalady, the near 5-2 second choice, gave back $3.60 and concluded the $2,146.40 trifecta. Miraculous Miss (Mr. Greeley), who raced in last early, rallied late to take fourth and finish the nice $10,003.80 superfecta (9-8-1-7). Completing the order under the wire were Sugar Swirl, Miss Macy Sue, Windyindy (A.P. Indy) and Graeme Six. Change Up (Distorted Humor) was withdrawn.

The Kentucky-bred Intangaroo has finished off-the-board only three times in her career, racking up a line of 11-4-2-2 with all of her races prior to the Humana Distaff being on the synthetic tracks in California. She's competed mainly in the allowance/optional claiming events during that time, just making her stakes debut in the Santa Monica and scoring by nose. Last out, she tried the Las Flores H. (G3) and just missed by a half-length while third. Making her first start outside of the Golden State and her first on dirt here, the dark bay lass now boasts $464,231 in lifetime earnings.

Bred by Pollock Farms & Taylor Made Farm Inc. in Kentucky, Intangaroo is the second registered foal out of the multiple stakes-winning Tasso's Magic Roo (Tasso), who has since produced an unraced sophomore colt named Downthestretch (Johannesburg), an unnamed juvenile colt by Chapel Royal and an unnamed 2008 colt by More Than Ready. The Humana Distaff winner attracted a final bid of $37,000 at the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling sale.

Sherlock said that Intangaroo could show up next in the June 28 A Gleam Invitational H. (G2) at Hollywood Park.

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