Innovative roared through the stretch and surged past stubborn pacesetter. (Benoit Photo)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Making his stakes debut for trainer Phil D’Amato, Innovative roared through the stretch and surged past stubborn pacesetter Lee’s Baby Girl to win Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 John C. Harris Stakes for 3-year-old fillies sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.
Innovative (12-1), with a resurgent Ricky Gonzalez aboard, prevailed by a neck over Lee’s Baby Girl (25-1) with another half length back to morning line favorite Warming (9-2) in third. Casalu, the even money post time favorite, ranged into contention in the final furlong but flattened out late.
Lee’s Baby Girl, with Mirco Demuro up for trainer Carla Gaines, set fractions of 22.23, 44.37 and 1:06.77. With a host of rivals looking poised to sweep past her in the final furlong, Lee’s Baby Girl dug in gamely but could not hold off the late charge of Innovative who won in a time of 1:12.98.
Trained by Phil D’Amato, the daughter of Complexity previously won a first-level allowance going a mile at Del Mar on Aug. 9 in what was her sixth start. D’Amato said this race was designed as a prep for the GIII Autum Miss at a mile on turf on Oct. 26 at Santa Anita.
“I was really impressed with my filly in the last race at Del Mar. I think the light bulb went on for her there,” D’Amato said. “I looked at the race and thought this would be a good option for her at Santa Anita to set her up for the two-turn stake at the end of the meet. She came flying home on the outside and mowed them down. She’s a filly with a lot of promise.”
Innovative is owned by Little Red Feather Racing and Sterling Stables. Four races earlier on the card, Little Red Feather and Sterling Stables teamed with D’Amato to win the GII John Henry Turf Championship with Gold Phoenix.
“Credit to the whole D’Amato team. Gold Phoenix and Innovative, it has been a great job,” said Little Red Feather’s Billy Koch “To all the Little Red Feather partners watching it is just amazing.”
Innovative improved to 7: 3-2-1 with $178,300 in earnings. She paid $27.40, $11.80 and $5.60. Lee’s Baby Girl returned $18.20 and $6.00. Warming, ridden by Umberto Rispoli for trainer Graham Motion, paid $4.20.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Santa Anita with a 10-race card starting at 1 p.m. PT. The program features the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship and GII Zenyatta, both automatic qualifiers to the Breeders’ Cup.
RICARDO GONZALEZ, Winning Jockey: “She is a big strong filly. I was just looking at the horse in front of me and she was going kind of wide. I didn’t want to stop my filly’s momentum, so I just kept going and she grounded it out.”
PHILIP D’AMATO, Winning Trainer: “I was really impressed with my filly in the last race at Del Mar. I think the light bulb went on for her there. I looked at the races and thought this would be a good option for her at Santa Anita to set her up for the two-turn stake at the end of the meet. She came flying home on the outside and mowed them down. She’s a filly with a lot of promise.”
BILLY KOCH, Little Red Feather Racing, Part Owner, Innovative, Winner: “John Harris was a pillar of our industry. I see all these people form Harris Farms here today and it makes it that much more special. I’m so proud of Ricky and what he has done for this horse. He is the only person to have ridden her. That Grade I win at Del Mar, I said it before, he is the most underrated rider here in Southern California. Credit to the whole D’Amato team. Gold Phoenix and Innovative it has been a great job, to all the Little Red Feather Partners watching it is just amazing.”
