In a convergence of five Grade 1 winners, Saturday’s $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) was decided in a photo finish between two top-level heroines from the west coast.
Ce Ce just tracked down pace-setting Ollie’s Candy at Oaklawn Park, prevailing in a head-bobbing tilt to take a race compared to a midseason Breeders’ Cup Distaff of sorts.
Ollie’s Candy was nabbed only after gunning it from the inside post in a field of 14, sent aggressively with known speedster Serengeti Empress also seeking the front from a more outside post.
Coming from the far outside post, Ce Ce relaxed off that fast pace, with the opening quarter mile in 22.20 seconds and half in 45.51. (by Brad Stephens)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDso5AdyBBE (video of the race)
Interview: “I was very glad to see we were able to tuck in in the first turn and get some position,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “They were rolling up front, and we were sitting in the garden spot.”
Ce Ce then tipped out in the stretch and made it a California-based battle for the lead against Ollie’s Candy.
Campaigned by owner/breeder Bo Hirsch, Ce Ce, a daughter of Elusive Quality, is a regally bred 4-year-old filly who exited a victory March 14 in Santa Anita’s Beholder Mile (G1).
Victor Espinoza rode the sibling of Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Papa Clem to 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.14 for a win that returned $9.80. She’s now 3-for-3 as a 4-year-old, having also won a Santa Anita allowance optional claiming race Feb. 17 off a layoff of more than eight months.
“I was smiling because it was exactly what I wanted,” Espinoza said of Saturday’s race setup. “Down the backside I had to put her in the race because I didn’t want the speed to get away from me. At the three-eighths, I put her behind the speed and just waited. Turning for home I was just loaded. It’s always fun to ride horses like Ce Ce. She’s an amazing filly.”
“This filly just keeps on giving,” McCarthy added. “I thought she was destined for big things last year — unlucky to get hurt early in the summer. She’s come back a bigger, stronger mare. I thought she would put together a wonderful resume this year, and I think we’re off to a pretty good start.”
Ollie’s Candy, meanwhile, is a John Sadler trainee for owners/breeders Paul and Karen Eggert. She ran third in that Beholder Mile but won Del Mar’s Clement L. Hirsch (G1) going back to last summer. Point of Honor ran third for trainer George Weaver ahead of Street Band in fourth.
The 2020 Apple Blossom drew its biggest field since the 1970s. The handicap already carried a healthy purse and a Grade 1 distinction but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on other circuits’ racing calendars, this year’s edition drew an especially star-studded cast.
Ce Ce, Come Dancing, Ollie’s Candy, Serengeti Empress and Street Band all entered the Apple Blossom with previous Grade 1 triumphs. Other competitors like Go Google Yourself, Lady Apple and Point of Honor also sported graded wins on their ledgers.
McCarthy’s filly Ce Ce bested that loaded field Saturday and further established herself as one of the best in her division.
fonte : horseracingnation.com
