Vasilika flaunted her class and rolled to an easy victory in the $200,000 Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Saturday.
Fahan Mura, with Edwin Maldonado aboard, opened up a 3-length lead out of the gate on the field and carved out the first 1/4 mile in 22.53 and hit the half in 45.48 with a commanding 8-length lead. She kept an ambitious daylight lead until they hit the far turn and started to tire and after they straightened out for home, she was done.
Meanwhile, Flavien Prat settled Vasilika near the back of the pack and just kept her out of trouble and then guided her out a bit in the stretch and the pair went on to win by a length-and-a-half with little effort.
Vasilika, a $40,000 claim only one year ago, earned her fifth graded stakes victory and is batting .500, with a 15/30 race career record and is 2/2 in her 5-yr.-old season.
Asked if there’s anything this horse isn’t capable of, trainer and part owner Jerry Hollendorfer said,
“I don’t know. We haven’t found it yet if there is.”
Vasilika completed the mile in 1:33.35 and paid $3.60 to win. Streak Of Luck closed well to get up for second at 50/1, and Ms. Bad Behavior ran third, Take These Chains ran fourth and Amandine completed the super high five.
Vasilka’s win was bittersweet for the connections, as Battle Of Midway, the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Champion was euthanized Saturday morning after a training accident. Battle Of Midway was trained by Hollendorfer and ridden by Flavien Prat.
To quote Jonathan Stettin;
Vasilika is proving to be one of the top claims of all time. She is a win machine.
Past the Wire Staff
