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Stellar Wind ekes out Summertime Oaks win over stubborn
Tara's Tango
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| Stellar Wind (left) and Tara's Tango fought it out to the wire
(Benoit Photos) |
Saturday's $200,250
Summertime Oaks (G2) at Santa Anita Park marked Stellar Wind's
(Curlin) return to competition following a troubled fourth in the May 1 Kentucky
Oaks (G1), but the Hronis Racing colorbearer had to work for it as Tara's Tango
(Unbridled's Song) battled her all the way to the wire.
Tara's Tango ended up being squeezed a bit of at the start when Conquest Curlgirl (Curlin)
broke in and pushed her into Roksana (Eskendereya), but
Stellar Wind had a perfect start from her far outside post. Scat Means Go (Scat
Daddy) was taken out of her game heading into the first turn when the saddle
slipped on Roksana and she drifted out into Scat Means Go's path as jockey
Felipe Valdez struggled to steer his wayward mount.
Meanwhile, Conquest Curlgirl was leading the way through splits of :23 4/5
and :49 1/5 while tracked by Tara's Tango and Stellar Wind to her outside. Sheer
Pleasure was saving ground just in behind the pacesetter.
Everyone dropped out leaving the backstretch except for Conquest Curlgirl, Tara's
Tango and Stellar Wind, who were running in tandem circling the final turn
through six furlongs in 1:12 1/5. Those three continued to battle into the lane
before Conquest Curlgirl faded.
Jockey Victor Espinoza got after Stellar Wind, but the sophomore miss just
could not shake Tara's Tango on her inside. It came down to a head bob, with
Stellar Wind getting the win by a nose while finishing 1 1/16 miles over the fast dirt in
1:42 2/5.
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"Whether the pace
was going to be slow or fast...everything changed out of the gate and I was ready
for it," Espinoza said. "I bounced out of there and I was going to figure it out when we hit the
first turn. I wanted to see how fast we were going. They slowed it down pretty
good, so I kept her closer. That was the best thing because with that pace I
couldn't leave her too much to do.
"I have to give (jockey) Mike (Smith aboard Tara's Tango) a lot of credit
because Tara's Tango was really fighting and he was riding her so hard. But
Stellar Wind got the job done and she felt great. I know it's a little bit hot
but she seemed to come back really well after the wire."
"I've been waiting for
this, to run long (with Tara's Tango)," Smith remarked. "In saying that though, I didn't want to have to make such a
long run. But, it was a good tactical move on Victor's part because I don't
think he wins if he didn't move on me that early.
"He had a horse that was more seasoned, who's been around two turns several
times and it was Tara's Tango's first time around two turns. All that happened
was that she got a little tired at the end. If that doesn't happen, I think I
get it."
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| Stellar Wind has been ridden in her past four races by Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza
(Benoit Photos) |
Sent off the 2-5 prohibitive favorite, Stellar Wind paid $2.80 to her
multitude of backers. Stonestreet Stables homebred Tara's Tango was
easily best of the rest, 3 1/4 lengths up on Conquest Curlgirl, while Sheer Pleasure
and Scat Means Go completed the order under the wire in the scratch-depleted
field after Roksana was pulled up.
Stellar Wind is now 4-0-1 from six career starts and has banked $493,200 lifetime.
The John Sadler trainee opened her career under the tutelage of Donald Barr at
Laurel Park, finishing third in her November 20 debut before breaking her maiden
by 8 3/4 lengths on December 18.
Kosta and Peter Hronis, who compete as Hronis Racing LLC, purchased Stellar
Wind soon after that dominating score and sent her to Sadler, for whom she
captured the Santa Ysabel S. (G3) to open her three-year-old campaign on
February 28. The chestnut lass romped by 5 1/4 lengths in the Santa Anita Oaks
(G1) next out, setting herself up to enter the Kentucky Oaks as the 3-1
favorite. She suffered trouble in that event and wound up fourth after being
steadied and forced to go nine wide.
"She ran very well and
had to give away the weight, she gave away five pounds today. With the pace slow
she had a long, extended, wide run," Sadler praised his filly before
acknowledging the runner-up as well. "The second filly, Tara's Tango is a very
nice filly. It felt like a Stonestreet exacta with Curlin (Stellar Wind's sire)
being so close to Stonestreet's Mrs. Banke and the late Jess Jackson who also
owned the horse that finished second.
"I don't really have anything planned yet. I'll take her down to Del Mar and
then we'll decide if we want to take her out of town or if we want to run her on
the grass. We have two choices with her down there. We'll see how it goes."
Kosta Hronis floated another idea.
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"I think we'd like to keep her on dirt for now. If we stay home here at Del
Mar, we'd probably have to switch her over to the grass. If we keep her on dirt,
we might go to Saratoga," he said.
Bred in Virginia by Keswick Stables and Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
LLC, Stellar Wind was initially purchased for $40,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga
Selected yearling before bringing $86,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall
yearling.
She is the first registered foal out of the winning Evening Star (Malibu
Moon), who is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes heroines Im Out First
(Allen's Prospect) and Zenith (Roy). The latter mare would go on to produce
Grade 1 victor Great Hunter (Aptitude), and this female family also boasts
multiple Grade 1 queen Love Sign (Spanish Riddle) and dual European classic
victress Melodist (The Minstrel).
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