Ruby Nell gets the W in the Unzip Me (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.— Unhurried early, Richard Mandella’s Ruby Nell rallied four-wide turning for home and overhauled Bob Baffert’s Fast and Shiny inside the sixteenth pole to register a one-length win in Sunday’s $100,000 Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at about 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course. Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Ruby Nell, a $1.2 million 2-year-old in training sale purchase in March of last year, got the trip over a firm turf in 1:11.35.
Fourth after showing the way early in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks at a mile and one eighth on turf Aug. 19, Ruby Nell was off as the 8-5 favorite in a field of 10 today and paid $5.20, $3.20 and $2.60.
Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Ruby Nell is by Bolt d’Oro out of the Not For Love mare Rich Love. In her second stakes assignment, she picked up $60,000, increasing her earnings to $198,520 from an overall mark of 7-3-2-1.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Fast and Shiny, off at 5-1, grabbed the lead turning for home and finished 3 ¼ lengths in front of longshot Free and Humble, returning $6.60 and $4.20.
Ridden by Antonio Fresu, Free and Humble was mid-pack while into the bridle passing the half mile pole and finished well to be third by 1 ¼ lengths over Make It Snow.
Fractions on the Unzip Me were 21.61, 43.04 and 1:05.55.
$100,000 UNZIP ME STAKES
JOCKEY QUOTES
EDWIN MALDONADO, RUBY NELL, WINNER:
“She’s super tough. Going down the hill I knew there was going to be a lot of pace in the race, so it would be easier for me to break and let her go, instead of breaking and trying to slow her down, it was a great decision. She was very comfortable, she’s a professional she does everything great.”
TRAINER QUOTES
RICHARD MANDELLA, RUBY NELL, WINNER:
“She’s a good filly, it took us a couple of races to kind of find out what she wanted, but she really wanted grass and is pretty good at it. I thought she would do better in the Oaks at Del Mar (fourth, Aug. 19) but she needed a little more seasoning. She was a little rank early and I think eventually she will learn. Sometimes it takes a little while for them to understand my training.”
NOTES: The winning owners are Spendthrift Farm, LLC.
