Photo: Hollywood Park
A
Group I winner in her native South Africa, Gypsy’s Warning now has a Grade I
victory on her resume after her come-from-behind score in the $250,000
Matriarch Friday at Hollywood Park.
Returning
to what might be her best distance, the 5-year-old daughter of Mogok and the
Royal Chalice mare Gypsy Queen rallied in the center of the turf to defeat
pacesetter Wasted Tears and five others.
Meanwhile,
in Northern California, no one was able to hit
the Pick Six again Friday, so there is a carryover of $128,659 awaiting
Saturday at Golden Gate Fields. Post time at Golden Gate
is 12:45 p.m. The Pick Six begins in the fourth race.
Owned
by Team Valor International and Green Lantern Stables and trained by Graham
Motion, Gypsy’s Warning earned her second victory in five races in the United States.
Under
new rider Joel Rosario, Gypsy’s Warning, who had won the Eatontown Handicap, a
Grade III May 31 at Monmouth Park in her first in this country, completed the
mile in 1:34.01 while winning by 1 ¼ lengths.
Kicking
off Hollywood Park’s Turf Festival, which continues
Saturday and Sunday, Gypsy’s Warning paid $9.80, $4.20 and $3.20.
Third
in the Yellow Ribbon, a Grade I at 1 ¼ miles, in her local debut Oct. 2,
Gypsy’s Warning set a moderate pace as the 2-1 favorite before tiring a bit
late to wind up 1 ½ lengths behind winner Hibaayeb.
Cutting
back to a trip at which she is now 3-for-5, the bay mare responded to a waiting
ride. She’s won seven of 16 and increased her earnings to $491,862.
“I
didn’t really take her back,’’ said Rosario
after his first Matriarch victory. “I just let her relax and get comfortable.
She seemed like she was going to be a little rank, but she settled herself
down. When I asked her to go, she really kicked.
“The
only instructions I got were to let her relax, keep her covered up and make one
run. I don’t know how good she is, but she really showed me something today.’’
Wasted
Tears, who had won the John C. Mabee Stakes Aug. 15 at Del
Mar in her last appearance in California,
finished a half-length in front of Go Forth North.
A
winner of 11 of 16 on grass for owner, breeder and trainer Bart Evans, Wasted
Tears paid $3.60 and $2.80 as the 2-1 second choice . The show price on 12-1
shot Go Forth North was $3.80.
Westwood
Pride finished fourth, then came Camille C, Lilly Fa Pootz and 11-10 favorite
Special Duty, who trailed virtually throughout in her first outside Europe.
“She
broke well, but she never really wanted to get in the race,’’ said jockey
Rafael Bejarano of Special Duty. “She was just completely lost out there. She
warmed up real well and I thought she was going to run big.’’
Two
races before the Matriarch, Reba Is Tops earned her second win of the Autumn
meet, rallying between horses in the stretch to take the $61,980 Raise Your
Skirts Stakes.
Returning
19 days after a victory in an optional claimer, the 6-year-old daughter of He’s
Tops and the Present Value mare Miss Kyama surged in the final eighth of a mile
to win for the 12th time in 26 starts. Patrick Valenzuela rode the Washington bred for
owners Kenny Marshall, Gordy Jarnig and Eric Schweiger and trainer Mark Glatt.
Prevailing
by 1 ½ lengths in the Raise Your Skirts, Reba Is Tops ran the six furlongs on
turf in 1:09.06. She paid $7,60, $3.80 and $2.40 as the 5-2 second choice. Pink
Diamond finished second for the seventh time in a row on turf and 7-5 favorite
Waveline was third.
Claimed
for $17,500 July 1, 2007 in her third lifetime outing at Emerald Downs, Reba Is
Tops, who was her home state’s Horse of the Year in 2009, has since won 10 of
22. She’s earned $361,229.