Take Another Card takes the California Cup Oaks (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif. —Three weeks after a debut win sprinting on turf at Santa Anita, Take Another Card stretched out to a mile for her stakes debut and promptly scored by a neck under Hector Berrios in the $175,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks on turf Saturday at Santa Anita.
Take Another Card saved ground throughout while racing in mid-pack behind fractions of 23.10, 47.96 and 1:12.98 for six furlongs. In the stretch, after some jostling near the three-sixteenths pole, Take Another Card straightened out and surged past the leaders to win as the 9-5 favorite.
Finishing second was Miso Phansy (3-1) ridden by Umberto Rispoli. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Tequilaandtherapy (5-1) in third.
“She broke perfectly out of the gate,” Berrios said of the winner. “I told her to go and she was comfortable and settled perfectly. When I saved ground, she stayed comfortable and I knew I had it. The last quarter, there was a little contact with the filly (Less Is More), but she came through no problem. In the stretch, her stride was very nice. She is a very classy filly.”
Take Another Card is trained by Simon Callaghan for Reddam Racing. The 3-year-old filly by I’ll Have Another won in a time of 1:36.98. With the $96,250 winner’s share of the purse, Take Another Card pushed her earnings to $132,250.
“It was very exciting,” Powell said. “Hector gave her a lovely ride, saved every inch of ground, and they got a little tight in the stretch. But she was very brave. She went through a very tight hole.”
Take Another Card paid $5.80, $3.20 and $2.40. Miso Phansy, trained by Leonard Powell, returned $4.00 and $3.20. Tequilaandtherapy, with Edwin Maldonado up for trainer Doug O’Neill, paid $3.40.
