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Phola continues her rapid ascent in Distaff Turf Mile
Although Cure for Sale clung grimly to the lead at the top of the stretch, Hot Cha Cha had all the momentum, and she rolled to the front. No sooner had Hot Cha Cha kicked clear, than Phola struck top gear wider out. Devouring the ground rapidly, Phola blew past Hot Cha Cha and drew off to score with authority. The winner negotiated one mile on the rain-soaked going in 1:38 1/5 and returned $15.40, $6.80 and $4.60 at a generous 6-1. "We had a great trip," Dominguez said. "The filly definitely loves soft going. (Trainer) Todd (Pletcher) asked me to ride her pretty much like we did last time. She's so easy on herself. The ground is so soft, you don't really know what you have until you send her, when you ask her she's got a three-sixteenths, quarter of a mile (kick)." "We handled soft ground at Tampa last time out, so we were optimistic that she'd handle it today, though this is softer than she ran on before," Pletcher said. "She's just a filly who's finding herself and getting good. She's getting better and better with every race." The 9-2 Hot Cha Cha held second by 1 1/4 lengths, yielding $5.20 and $4. Miss Keller (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]) got up for third, and the 11-1 shot paid $6.20 to show. The exotics totaled $77.60 (exacta), $642 (trifecta) and $2,600.60 (2-6-1-3 superfecta) with the 5-2 Fantasia (GB) (Sadler's Wells) a one-paced fourth. Tizaqueena, Cure for Sale and Diamondrella rounded out the order under the wire, and Hooh Why (Cloud Hopping) was scratched. Phola now sports a mark of 11-5-2-2 with $330,163 in her bankroll. An impressive debut maiden winner over Arlington Park's Polytrack as a juvenile, the dark bay finished third in the 2008 Arlington-Washington Lassie (G3) next time out. She plied her trade in allowance or optional claiming company throughout 2009, winning once in a Delaware Park turf event. Phola kicked off her four-year-old campaign with a sharp allowance score at Gulfstream Park on February 7, and took a sizeable step forward in the aforementioned Hillsborough. Bred in Kentucky by Andover Way and N & P Horse Racing Venture, Phola sold for $50,000 as a 2007 Keeneland September yearling and RNA'ed for $47,000 at the 2008 OBS March sale. She's out of the Petionville mare Humbling (Ire), who is also the dam of a 2010 colt by Songandaprayer. Phola's second dam is Grade 3 winner Humble Eight (Seattle Battle), the dam of stakes winner and Grade 3 runner-up Stage Call (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). This is the family of Irish highweight and multiple Group 1 queen Balanchine (Storm Bird), who defeated males in the 1994 Irish Derby (Ire-G1); Group 1 heroine West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian); Group 2 vixen Red Slippers (Nureyev); and Group 2 scorer Romanov (Ire) (Nureyev). Phola figures to take her game to the Grade 1 level, with Pletcher mentioning the June 5 Just a Game S. (G1) at Belmont Park as a probable target.
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