Photo: Hollywood Park
Switch,
who had been second or third in three of her four previous starts in graded
stakes, broke through with a win on Sunday, upsetting heavily favored Blind
Luck in the $150,000 Hollywood Oaks at Hollywood Park.
Trained
by John Sadler for Lee and Susan Searing’s C R K Stable, the 3-year-old Quiet
American filly by the Nicholas mare Antoniette got first run on the Kentucky
Oaks winner and went on to victory by 1 ¼ lengths in the Grade II.
Switch’s
win was her second in six starts and increased her earnings to $189,600. She
also evened the score with Blind Luck. In their first encounter, Blind Luck had
defeated Switch, who wound up third, by a half-length in the Las Virgenes, a
Grade 1, on Feb. 13 at Santa Anita.
Camped
third on the outside under jockey Martin Garcia, who replaced Joel Rosario, who
had been named to ride when entries were taken on June 3, while Camille C set a
very slow pace with Vision In Gold in close attendance, Switch joined the
leader in deep stretch, kicked clear from the California bred, then was not
seriously menaced by Blind Luck in the closing yards.
Due
to the extremely soft fractions – 25.30 for the opening quarter, 50.11 for the
half-mile and 1:14.50 for six furlongs – the final time of 1:44.54 was the
slowest in the Oaks since the race was shortened to 1 1/16 miles in 2002.
Second,
a half-length behind Tanda, in the Railbird Stakes at seven furlongs in her
first start of the meet on May 9, Switch returned $7.40, $2.80 and $2.20 as the
5-2 second choice. She carried 113 pounds, 10 less than the runner-up.
Blind
Luck, the 1-2 favorite seeking to join Fran’s Valentine (1985) as the only
fillies to win both the Kentucky
and Hollywood Oaks, paid $2.20 and $2.10. Camille C, who finished
three-quarters of a length behind Blind Luck, paid $3.20 to show. Antares World
and Vision In Gold completed the order of finish.
“We
always wanted to get her off the pace and that’s why we dropped her back for
the Railbird,’’ said Sadler after his first win in the Oaks. “She found herself
a couple of times at Santa Anita on easy leads, but I really wanted to get her
off the pace a little bit.
“This
filly is tactical, so we knew she could get a really good position. She has a
really good turn of foot, so I knew we would get first jump on (Blind Luck).’’
Sadler
also talked about the jockey change, necessitated because Rosario, who had
ridden at Belmont
Park
on Saturday, had gone home to the Dominican
Republic.
“Rosario
got his signals mixed up,’’ said Sadler. “He was supposed to come back and ride
her. This is a designated race and he had days (a three day suspension for his
disqualification aboard Repo in the Manhattan Beach Stakes on May 30) but
somehow he thought he couldn’t ride a designated race. I had to get a rider and
Martin seemed like a good choice.’’
Hollendorfer,
who won the Hollywood Oaks with Hystericalady in 2006, saw Blind Luck lose for
only the second time in five 2009 races. She has won seven of 11 and earned
$1,428,712.
“He
(jockey Rafael Bejarano) could have laid a little closer,’’ he said. “I’ve got
no excuse.’’
Racing
resumes Wednesday at Hollywood
Park.
Post time is 1 p.m.