Prancingthruparis (#7 outside). (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif. — Testing Santa Anita’s unique hillside turf course for just the second time, Prancingthruparis rallied to a half-length victory as the second-longest shot on the board in Sunday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita. The Irish O’Brien, named after the 1980s mare who excelled on the hillside course, is restricted to horses bred or sired in California.
Trained by Peter Eurton, Prancingthruparis was cutting back in distance following a front-running allowance win at a mile on turf Feb. 22 at Santa Anita. She was 38-1 that day. In the Irish O’Brien, Prancingthruparis went off as the second-longest shot on the board at 11-1.
Ridden again by Armando Ayuso, who was also aboard for the allowance win, Prancingthruparis settled in mid-pack this time as Pushiness (2-1) ushered the field down the hill through fractions of 21.98 and 44.42 seconds for a half mile.
When the field neared the dirt crossing, Prancingthruparis was angled out widest of all for clear racing room. The 4-year-old Sir Prancealot filly responded in kind. She poked a head in front of Pushiness in mid-stretch and continued to outrun that stubborn rival to the wire to score by a half-length.
“She broke sharp,” Ayuso said. “She broke the best in the race. I knew there was a lot of speed inside me so I just I just took a hold a little bit. She was doing really good. Before we got to the dirt I had a lot of filly and I stepped her to the outside. As soon as she went outside, she started running.”
Prancingthruparis won in a time of 1:13.18 to earn her first stakes victory for owners-breeders Ciaglia Racing LLC, SAF Racing and Harry A. Crusberg. She is now 13: 5-2-0 with $294,050 in earnings.
Sneaker (7-1) finished a length back of Pushiness in third with Moment’s Pleasure (4-1) completing the superfecta.
Prior Prancingthruparis’s latest two wins, she finished seventh in the California Cup Distaff Handicap in her only other try on the hillside course in October. As a 2-year-old, she earned a stakes-placing versus statebreds when second in the Generous Portion at Del Mar going six furlongs on dirt.
Eurton was not at Santa Anita Sunday. Joe Ciaglia of Ciaglia Racing said “it was amazing” while celebrating in the Winner’s Circle.
“The jockey did a really good job,” Ciaglia said. “Last time we got an easy lead at a mile going wire to wire. He broke great and was smart to settle. She showed a lot of versatility there.”
Prancingthruparis paid $24.00, $8.40 and $5.60. Pushiness, ridden by Umberto Rispoli for trainer Michael McCarthy, returned $4.40 and $3.60. Sneaker, with Frankie Dettori up for trainer George Papaprodromou, paid $5.20.
Live racing resumes Monday at Santa Anita with a special St. Patrick’s Day card starting at 1 p.m. PT. Admission and parking are free. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.
