Unzip Me is uncatchable in Las Cienegas

"She's relaxing so much better now," Talamo said. "She had her ears straight

up the entire race today, nice and relaxed. I knew Rafael (Bejarano, aboard

Czechers) was close because we were going so slow, so around the turn, I wanted

to open up just a little to get some breathing room. I threw her a few crosses

through the lane just to keep her focused. Her last few races have really been

remarkable."

Czechers kept on gamely for runner-up honors, holding off Gotta Have Her's

late run by three-quarters of a length. The 5-1 shot yielded $5.80 and $3.20 for

her honest second-place effort. Gotta Have Her, who left the gate quickly but

not cleanly, gave back $2.10 to show.

"She stumbled real bad at the break," trainer Jenine Sahadi said of Gotta

Have Her.

Another two lengths astern came Annihilation (Northern Afleet), who also had

trouble at the start and was still last at the eighth-pole. The $1 exotics

totaled $22.90 (exacta), $50.90 (trifecta) and $108.60 (3-6-7-8 superfecta)

after Annihilation got up for fourth by a neck. Jehan (Forest Wildcat) checked

in fifth, followed by Burg Berg (Johannesburg) and Nadeshiko (Honour and Glory).

Lemon Supreme (Lemon Drop Kid) and U R All That I Am (Valid Wager) were

scratched.

Unzip Me's first graded laurel advanced her record to 11-6-2-1, $279,700. The

four-year-old spent the first half of her career on synthetic, breaking her

maiden in her debut at Del Mar as a juvenile and later adding an

allowance/optional claiming score there last summer. A troubled fifth in the

California Cup Distaff H. in her turf bow, Unzip Me commenced her winning streak

two starts later at Hollywood Park. After two convincing, wire-to-wire scores,

she earned another crack at stakes company in the Irish O'Brien, where she

recovered from being squeezed at the start and held on by a head.

"We were always pretty high on her," Jones said. "As soon as she got on the

grass, even when we worked her on the grass, it was like, 'Whoa, this filly's

different on the grass.' I was real concerned about running her back (three

weeks after the Irish O'Brien). It was kind of a last-minute decision, because

that last race was real hard on her. But the last few days before entries (were

taken for the Las Cienegas), she just started acting like herself and going like

herself again, so I decided we should go for it again. Let's take a shot at it.

She just loves running down that hill so much, I said we better try and take

advantage of this while we can."

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 a juvenile filly named Clean Break (Swiss

Yodeler) and a 2010 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).