Shrinking Violet blossoms with Monrovia triumph

Shrinking Violet utilized the inside route to her full advantage during Sunday's

Grade 2, $201,500

Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita Park, saving ground throughout the

about 6 1/2-furlong downhill turf feature before taking command crossing the

dirt.

From there, the chestnut mare extended her margin before crossing under the

wire a geared-down 1 1/4-length winner with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard. Owned and

trained by Wesley Ward, Shrinking Violet finished up in 1:12 2/5 over Santa

Anita's firm green.

"She tracked well; she runs like a European. The leaders spread crossing the

dirt so I filled that spot and she was full of run at that point," Desormeaux

said.

"This was all Wesley Ward, trainer and owner. The filly has

been to 12 different race tracks, but so have I over the years and a part of

those were with Wesley Ward so I'm glad he didn't bring sand to the beach. He

let me pilot her, I've ridden her before, I know her well and I hope he knows

that and it's probably the reason we're in the winner's circle."

To My Valentine, another Ward trainee, attempted to lead all the way on the

front end. The French-bred sped to the lead when the gates opened to post

fractions of :21 3/5 and :44 before being joined by her stablemate on

the dirt crossover.

Velvet Mesquite, the 7-2 favorite, kept in close contact with To My Valentine

on the outside and put in her own run, but was no match for Shrinking Violet in

this one. She was forced to settled for third, just a head behind Heat Trap, while

Sky Treasure took fourth another nose back in a blanket finish on the wire.

"We won, that's what counts. The winner is a nice filly," stated Blake Heap,

assistant to Ward and trainer of record for Velvet Mesquite. "The only thing I told Kent (Desormeaux) was that the two

horse (To My Valentine) had to be kind of in front, and for him to break and try

to get through up the fence. It just happened to work perfect for him.