Wasted Tears holds off Forever Together in Jenny Wiley

Wasted Tears gave her rivals the slip entering the stretch and enjoyed a 1

1/2-length lead at the eighth-pole. Meanwhile, Forever Together was just

beginning to bear down. The big gray mare took some time to build up momentum,

but once she got in gear, she loomed boldly. For a few strides, Forever Together

threatened to sweep past the leader. Wasted Tears, however, refused to yield.

Finding a bit more, she pulled away from Forever Together to register the mild

upset.

"My filly always felt like she was going to give me a good response," Maragh

said. "She cruised on the lead early and that made her have a lot left at the

end.

"He (owner/trainer Bart Evans) told me to just get along with her. She's very

talented, and (he told me) as long as I get along with her and make her feel

like she is doing it on her own, she would give me a good kick and she sure

did."

Trainer Jonathan Sheppard was not downcast by Forever Together's narrow loss.

"I was very pleased with the race," Sheppard said. "I knew that horse (Wasted

Tears) was the lone speed, and if she was able to slow it down, which she did,

she'd have enough left to hold us off. I thought she (Forever Together) ran very

well and tried hard. It was a good effort."

Wasted Tears returned $11.60, $5.40 and $3.80 while starting the $41.40

exacta, $229.40 trifecta and $523.40 superfecta (3-2-7-5). Forever Together gave

back $3.40 and $2.60 for finishing one length in front of Hot Cha Cha (Cactus

Ridge). Third paid $4 at 7-1. Carribean Sunset, the 3-1 second choice, faded to

fourth, followed by Salve Germania, Treat Gently (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]) and

Quiet Harbor. Stardom Bound (Tapit) was scratched in favor of Sunday's 8TH race.

With this biggest career victory added to her resume, Wasted Tears improved

her line to 14-9-1-0, $436,598. She flashed ability on the Retama Park turf as a

juvenile, capturing her debut and finishing a troubled runner-up in the 2007 La

Senorita S., but really excelled with maturity. The Kentucky-bred kicked off her

winning streak in her 2009 bow in an allowance at Lone Star Park. Next time out

at the same venue, she wired the Ouija Board Distaff H. (G3) in a course-record

1:32.81 for the mile. Sidelined until January 28, the five-year-old picked up

right where she left off with an allowance/optional claiming score at Gulfstream

Park. That served as the ideal prep for the February 20 Honey Fox S. (G3), which

she captured in her trademark fashion last time out.

"We had her at Palm Meadows and kept her down there all winter," Evans said.

"She ran twice after coming back from an eight-month layoff and she is coming

back from about a two-month layoff. We got her ready for this (race). She's

always run over a firm turf course and I wanted to see if she could run over

other turf courses. This (Keeneland) isn't the easiest course in the world to

stay on the front end at a mile and sixteenth."

Produced by the stakes-winning Wishes and Roses (Greinton [GB]), Wasted Tears

is a half-sister to stakes victors Wishingitwas (Sandpit [Brz]) and Almost

Certain (Favorite Trick), as well as a juvenile colt named If Ever (Thunder

Gulch). Wasted Tears' fifth dam is the noted matron The Garden Club (*Herbager).