Maybellene gets Sunland Park Oaks win via disqualification

Trainer Bob Baffert was going for his fifth straight win, and seventh in the

last nine years, on Sunday when sending both Callback (Street Sense) and

Maybellene (Lookin at Lucky) to an eventful running of the $200,240

Sunland Park Oaks.

The white-haired horseman got the victory, but probably not in the way he

would have liked as 1-5 favorite Callback was disqualified and placed fourth.

That left 7-2 second choice Maybellene, who finished a neck behind her

stablemate, to inherit the victory after Callback stopped the clock in 1:42 4/5

for 1 1/16 miles on the fast dirt at Sunland Park.

Fancy and Flashy (Zensational), trained by Sunland-based Henry Dominguez,

took command out of the gate and proceeded to lead the field through splits of

:21 2/5, :45 4/5 and 1:09 4/5. Callback kept pace just in behind the leader

while flanked by Suva Harbor (Rockport Harbor) to her outside, while Maybellene

found herself running well off the rail about five wide.

Suva Harbor spit the bit heading into the turn, but Callback was just winding

up. The bay miss ranged up to run in tandem with the visibly tiring Fancy and

Flashy just as Maybellene swung wide and began her move under Victor Espinoza.

Callback had just got the measure of Fancy and Flashy when she suddenly

ducked violently toward the rail. While she was clear of that rival, the sudden

movement seemed to spook the weary Fancy and Flashy, as she jinked right and

almost hit the rapidly closing Maybellene. That filly hesitated briefly before

going on to challenge her stablemate, who had been straightened by jockey Martin

Garcia and just held from her barnmate.

The amended order of finish ended up being Maybellene, Scat Means Go, Fancy

and Flashy, and Callback, with those four earnings respective points of

50-20-10-5 toward a starting berth in the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1). However,

neither Scat Means Go nor Fancy and Flashy are nominated to the 1 1/8-mile

affair.

Campaigned by Baffert's wife, Natalie J. Baffert, Maybellene earned her first

stakes win in the Sunland Park Oaks. The bay lass placed in both the Starlet S.

(G1) and Desi Arnaz S. during her juvenile season, but was unable to find the

top three in either the Las Virgenes S. (G1) or China Doll S. in her two

sophomore starts prior to Sunday.

Now boasting a 3-1-2 mark from 10 career starts, Maybellene has banked

$276,194.

Bred in Kentucky by Colts Neck Stables LLC, she sold for $140,000 as a

Keeneland September yearling and is the first registered stakes winner out of

the unraced Greathearted (Giant's Causeway).

Maybellene's dam is a half-sister to multiple Grade 3-winning top sire

Elusive Quality (Gone West) as well as Group 2 victor and Irish highweight

Rossini (Miswaki). Her third dam is Grade 3 diva Ivory Wand (Sir Ivor), whose

descendents include champion Anees (Unbridled), multiple Group 1 scorer and

German/Italian champion Gold and Ivory (Key to the Mint), and multiple Grade

1-winning millionaire Grand Couturier (Grand Lodge).