Unzip Me holds sway in Monrovia

"After I saw the other speed horse scratch in the post parade (Candace Gold

[Seeking the Gold]), I decided to be on the lead," Bejarano said. "This is the

first time she has run after the Breeder's Cup, so I just tried to get her to

relax and stay comfortable with my horse. In the beginning I wanted to get the

lead, but not let her go too fast. When I saw everybody getting close to me, I

was just waiting for the top of the stretch to close the door. As soon as I got

to the dirt, I let her go. She kept running and finished strong."

"She ended up having a great trip," winning trainer Marty Jones said. "She

got a nice, easy lead like she likes and did her thing. She's a special horse.

She did break a little bit slow. She's not real, real quick the first eighth of

a mile, but once she gets out of there and she gets going, she's something

special. Hopefully, she'll come out of the race good (when asked what might be

next). We'll play it by ear."

Broken Dreams subdued Reba Is Tops by a half-length for runner-up honors,

yielding $4.20 and $3.20 as the 5-1 third choice. Reba Is Tops gave back $4.40

at 10-1 for finishing 2 1/4 lengths clear of Lilly Fa Pootz (Gilded Time).

Evening Jewel and La Nez (Storm Creek) completed the order of finish, while

Candace Gold was a late scratch by the veterinarian, and Gilded Gem (Smarty

Jones) was withdrawn in favor of Friday's Kalookan Queen H.

Besides improving her local mark to four-for-five, Unzip Me was notching her

sixth career stakes score, and racking up her eighth consecutive win in female

company. Her skein, which began with an entry-level allowance romp at Hollywood

Park in December 2009, includes the Sen. Ken Maddy H. (G3), Royal North S.

(Can-G3), Las Cienegas H. (G3), Irish O'Brien S. and Great Lady M. S. The

chestnut lost only twice last year, both times to males when third in the Robert

K. Kerlan Memorial H. and the aforementioned Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Her

overall record now stands at 17-10-2-3, $643,513.

Owned by her breeders Harris Farms and Donald Valpredo, in partnership with

Per Antonsen and trainer Jones, Unzip Me is out of the winning Arazi mare Escape

with Me, whose latest foals are an unraced sophomore filly named Clean Break

(Swiss Yodeler) and a yearling colt by Aragorn (Ire). Unzip Me's second dam is

the brilliant, 11-time stakes heroine Soviet Problem (Moscow Ballet), the

conqueror of males in the Laurel Dash (G3) and a near-miss second in the 1994

Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).