Photo: Hollywood Park
Owner Marsha Naify and trainer Julio Canani made it two
stakes wins in a span of less than 24 hours when Givine captured the $73,250
Great Lady M. Sunday at Hollywood
Park.
After winning the $150,000 American Handicap Saturday with
8-1 shot Ryehill Dreamer, who edged favored Sidney’s
Candy by a nose, Naify and Canani scored again as Givine, the 7-2 third choice,
finish strongly in the final eighth of a mile to overtake Separate Forest
and favored Broken Dreams.
Making her first start since finishing eighth of nine in her
United States
debut as the 19-10 favorite in the Wishing Well Jan. 30 at Santa Anita, the
4-year-old French bred prevailed by a half-length. The gray daughter of
Blackdoun and the Double Bed mare Viguerie completed the six furlongs on turf
in 1:08.26 while winning by a half-length.
The final time was the second fastest in the Great Lady M.
since the race was lengthened to its current distance in 2007. River’s Prayer
won in 1:08.21 in 2007. The first 12 runnings of the race were 5 ½ furlongs on
turf.
Successful for the sixth time in 10 starts, Givine increased
her bankroll to $145,432. She paid $9.60, $3.80 and $2.60.
Separate Forest, who had
upset Unzip Me in the Las Cienegas Handicap April 9 at Santa Anita in her
previous race on grass, paid $3.60 and $2.20. She saved the place by a
half-length over Broken Dreams. The 9-10 choice paid 2.10 to show. Ultra
Awesome, who set the pace at 39-1, and Lunar Mist completed the order of
finish.
“The first time in this country she was a little green
coming down the hill at Santa Anita,’’ said Rosario, who leads all riders at
the Spring/Summer meet with seven stakes victories. “She kind of ran off and
didn’t know where she was going crossing the dirt. Today she was nice and
relaxed. She wasn’t pulling me at all.’’
Rosario
won twice more Sunday to pad his advantage in the jockey standings. The
defending champion at the Spring/Summer meet, Rosario has 29 victories, five more than Rafael
Bejarano and Joe Talamo.
Two races after the Great Lady M., Smash picked up his
second win in three starts, defeating stablemate Hoorayforhollywood by a nose
in the $52,400 optional claimer.
Owned by Kaleem Shah and trained by Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old
son of Smart Strike out of the Dixieland Band mare Dixie Holiday ran the 6 ½
furlongs in 1:15.64. Ridden by Martin Garcia, he paid $3 as the 1-2 favorite.
The victory was the first of two for the Baffert-Garcia
combination. They also won the eighth with 2-1 second choice Prayer for Relief.
Through 24 days of the meet, Baffert is second in the
trainer’s race. He has 11 wins, two less than leader Mike Mitchell.