Macadamia wins Santa Anita’s Friday allowance feature (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.— Phil D’Amato’s Brazilian-bred Macadamia, in her fifth stateside start, put it all together on Friday at Santa Anita, as she rallied three-deep turning for home en route to a solid 1 ½ length win in the day’s $75,000 allowance feature. Ridden for the first time by Tiago Pereira, Macadamia got a mile and one-eighth on turf in 1:49.01 while providing Pereira with his second win on the card.
A Group I winner in her native Brazil, Macadamia, a 5-year-old mare by the Sunday Silence stallion Hat Trick, was taken in-hand from her outside post and was next to last, about four lengths off pacesetter Tik Tok Famous in the run around the first turn.
Allowed to settle into a nice rhythmic stride while under a long hold past the half-mile pole, Macadamia moved into contention leaving the three-furlong pole, just as her stablemate Buzz of New York took up sharply and was shuffled back to next to last in the run to the quarter pole.
Full of run while wide-out turning for home, Macadamia overhauled Tik Tok Famous a sixteenth from home while Buzz of New York rallied impressively for the place.
Idle since third, beaten a neck at the same allowance condition going 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar Dec. 3, Macadamia, who had been winless in her four Southern California starts, was off at 3-1 in a field of seven older fillies and mares and paid $8.40, $4.00 and $3.00.
“This mare has been knocking on the door, but she’s one of these Southern Hemisphere horses and it’s taken a while for her to acclimate,” said D’Amato. “Tiago seems to really get along with her and hopefully, she’ll keep climbing the ladder.
“My other filly (Buzz of New York), she got kind of wiped out at the three-eighths pole, she went from third to second to last. Then she re-rallied and I think she’ll be tough next time.”
Owned by R Unicorn Stable, Macadamia bagged $45,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $104,413 while improving her overall race record to 10-3-2-2.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Irish-bred Buzz of New York, the second choice at 5-2, did remarkably well to come back on for second money in an effort that suggested she may’ve been best. Returning $3.60 and $2.60, she finished one length in front of Tik Tok Famous.
Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Tik Tok Famous was off at 25-1 and paid $6.40 to show while finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of 7-5 favorite Ballet Dancing.
Fractions on the race were 24.62, 48.48, 1:12.75 and 1:35.96.
Special early first post time for a 10-race card tomorrow is at 12 noon with admission gates opening at 10 a.m.
