Her showdown with Unzip Me having
succumbed to track conditions, Mizdirection, the soaring 4-year-old filly
co-owned by noted sports commentator Jim Rome, expanded her accomplishments
Saturday by gaining her fourth straight victory in Santa Anita’s $100,000 Las
Cienegas Handicap.
With the 6 1/2-furlong, Grade III
stakes race switched from turf to Santa Anita’s main track following a pounding
rainstorm on Friday, only four starters went to the post, and Mizdirection made
good on her 3-10 favoritism with a one-half length win over 5-2 second choice
Teroda.
Timed in 1:16.50 over a track
labeled “fast,” the victory served as the first for Mizdirection over a dirt
surface after her previous five victories had been achieved on grass.
Two races back, the gray daughter of
Mizzen Mast had dramatically displayed her mastery of Santa Anita’s hillside
turf course with a commanding 1 ¾-length triumph over the layout’s reigning
queen, Unzip Me, in the Grade III Monrovia Stakes. Unzip Me is a seven-time
winner over the course.
Their compelling rematch done in by
the weather, Mizdirection, with a 5-2-0 record in seven turf competitions,
carried on over the main track with David Flores in the saddle.
The win may not have been as flashy
as her three previous wins on turf, but the filly trained by Mike Puype did
what she was supposed to do, and that was to win.
Mizdirection broke alertly, but
Flores took her back to eventually settle behind the other three runners down
the backside. Teroda won the duel for the early lead as the field raced through
fractions of 22.28, 45.45 and 1:10. Flores turned the winner loose rounding the
far turn and she steadily wore down Teroda, ridden by Martin Garcia, in the
late stages. La Nez finished third, 3 ½ lengths behind Teroda and a head in
front of Saanneen.
“I had confidence today,” said
Flores, “but I was expecting her to have the same turn of foot that she does on
grass, and it was not like that. The dirt is getting heavier, so it was a bit
tiring.
“When I moved outside, I had her
chase the leader,” Flores continued. “She accelerated slowly, but she got on
it. After the wire, she was very happy. It’s good to ride a horse like this.
She showed her class today.”
Puype agreed with the surface
assessment. “She quite obviously is not the same horse on the dirt, but it
didn’t matter,” he said. “That’s why we ran today, with the horses we were
running with. We got the job done, and that’s all that counts. She’ll be back
on the turf for her next race. I have no specific race in mind. A win’s a win,
and we’ll take it.”
The win brought Mizdirection’s
overall record to 6-3-1 in 10 starts. The winning purse of $60,000 increased
her career earnings to $360,111 for Rome’s Jungle Racing and partners Joshua
Grohs and William Strauss. She was purchased at auction for $50,000 in May of
2010. For her win in the Las Cienegas, Mizdirection paid $2.60 and $2.10. There
was no show wagering. Teroda paid $2.40 to place.