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Thegirlinthatsong hits winning note in La Canada

Thegirlinthatsong was just too good for her La Canada rivals (Benoit Photos) Thegirlinthatsong (My Golden Song) wasn't a long shot but neither was she a favorite in Saturday's $200,500 La Canada S. (G2) at Santa Anita Park. The Jerry Hollendorfer pupil was middle of the road at 6-1 but showed the superiority of a high-quality runner when pulling off a 4 1/4-length victory under jockey Rafael Bejarano. Tracking early pacesetter and 8-5 second choice Jojo Warrior (Pioneerof the Nile) through early splits of :23 3/5, :47 and 1:11 3/5, Thegirlinthatsong ranged up to challenge the leader rounding the turn. They briefly ran in tandem before Thegirlinthatsong began drawing off in the lane. "I thought Lexie Lou and Jojo Warrior would go to the lead so I expected to put my horse right behind Jojo Warrior after the break. When we broke my horse was real fresh so when I saw that Jojo Warrior did go to the lead, I just put us right behind and I had a beautiful trip," Bejarano explained. "By the three-eighths pole I still felt I had a lot of horse and when I let her go in the stretch she took off."

"She's been training well here and we were looking for a good effort from her," Hollendorfer said. "I think Rafael wanted to stay back a little more than what I wanted him. I asked him to stay as close as he could and be comfortable, so he did that, and that ended up working out well."

Even-money favorite Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay) finally found some running room after being in tight early and took off after the top pair. The Canadian classic winner, who was trying a conventional dirt surface for the first time in this spot, was no match for the winner but did manage to stick her head in front of Jojo Warrior to take second.

"Not bad for her first time on dirt, not bad at all," jockey Corey Nakatani praised Lexie Lou. "I wanted her to come out of there and put herself into position but when Jojo Warrior kind of crossed over she got a little dirt in her face and she started to jump a little. I lost our position but for her first time on dirt, she showed her heart and she ran a big race; the farther the better with her."

"That's the way she likes to run (in front) and there was no speed so I just let her run free," explained Martin Garcia, who was aboard Jojo Warrior. "She got a little bit tired."

Thegirlinthatsong was worth $15 to her backers as the third choice and saw her career earnings boosted to $407,695. The four-year-old miss has now competed 19 times, racking up five wins, four seconds and four thirds. Among those wins are three stakes scores, including the 2013 Happy Ticket S. and last year's Got Koko division of the Texas Stallion S.

Campaigned by Hollendorfer, Tim and Peter R. Russo, and Daniel J. Gatto, the dark bay filly was bred in Texas by Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Thegirlinthatsong is out of the winning Belle of the Band (Dixieland Band), making her a half-sister to stakes runner-up My Golden Belle (My Golden Song).

By taking the La Canada Thegirlinthatsong actually emulated her second dam Alysbelle (Alydar), who captured the 1993 running of that same event. The filly's third dam is stakes-placed Bel Sheba (Lt. Stevens), who is best known for producing 1988 Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Alysheba (Alydar).

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