Amen Hallelujah scores in Santa Ynez

IEAH Stables and Whizway Farms LLC's AMEN HALLELUJAH (Montbrook) earned her

first stakes win on Saturday when posting a three-quarters of a length victory in the $150,000

Santa Ynez S. (G2) at Santa Anita. With Chantal Sutherland aboard, the dark bay

lass was content to track the early pace before beginning her run rounding the

turn and rallying to finish seven furlongs on the Pro-Ride in 1:21 1/5.

She's Funomenal (Fusaichi Pegasus) set an initial swift pace, getting the

opening quarter in :22 4/5 while closely tracked by Switch (Quiet American)

to her outside. Franny Freud (Freud) and Amen Hallelujah ran along behind those

two and began closing ground in tandem as She's Funomenal started tiring. Switch

took over through a half-mile :45 1/5, but found company to her outside in

the form of Franny Freud and Amen Hallelujah.

Those three battled it out down the stretch, with Franny Freud sticking her

head in front through six furlongs in 1:09 1/5, but Amen Hallelujah had too much

momentum and passed her rivals to score her first win since being transferred to

trainer Richard Dutrow.

"I hate to say it, but she's really easy to ride," Sutherland

admitted. "She's calm, cool and you don't have to do much as a jockey. I

could see they were going really fast on the lead, and I loved it. The

pace was sweet and I didn't want to move too soon because I didn't want

to get fanned too wide. It was like watching a movie, the way it set up,

it couldn't have been any better. I was concerned about Garrett's

(Gomez, aboard Franny Freud) horse but when I asked my filly she had

plenty in reserve. The move she made was just fantastic."