It wasn’t the way trainer Bobby Frankel and IEAH Stables had planned it, but it’s still a victory. Stardom Bound, the 2008 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies champion had to earn her keep on Saturday in the Santa Anita Oaks (Grade 1), just nosing out longshot Third Dawn in a tantalizing photo finish that looked incredibly close to the naked eye.
The win was her 5th consecutive in as many Grade 1 efforts, and boosted the daughter of Pulpit’s lifetime earnings to $1,780,600. However, it also raised serious questions as to whether she’d point towards an eventual showdown with rival colts Pioneer of the Nile and The Pamplemousse in the Santa Anita Derby this April.
Burg Berg under jockey Tyler Baze was the early pacesetter, rattling off opening fractions of :23.78 and :47.54. Hooh Why and jockey Robby Albarado pressed the pace while Stardom Bound trailed the field, giving the leader 10 lengths in the early going.
Turning for home it was Hooh Why for trainer Carla Gaines who got first jump. Stardom Bound was in a terrible spot and forced extremely wide turning wide. Longhshot Thid Dawn came with a late run in between horses in the final sixteenth while Nan made a bold move to the inside and began gobbling up ground. All the while the grey Stardom Bound came bounding to the wire, and just when it looked like she might not make it, she found a way to get her nose down on the wire.
She’s a classy filly. That much is certain. I’m just not so sure she should be shooting for either the Santa Anita Derby or the Kentucky Derby. What I’d love to see at this point is for her to come east in May and run in the Kentucky Oaks. For now we’ll have to wait and see what IEAH decides to do with her next.
[...] Revenge in the Gotham and a tough loss for Ventura to Gio Ponti in Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap. Stardom Bound came through, but only by the slimmest of margins and not at anything remotely resembling a price. That meant [...]
Very tough horse. That was an exciting finish. I think the Kentucky Derby will be tough for her. We got two great Empire Maker horses plus a few others moving up.