Watchtower (outside) takes the Autumn Miss (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
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Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif. – Making her stakes debut for trainer Richard Baltas, Watchtower and jockey Diego Herrera ran down odds-on favorite Medoro in deep stretch to narrowly win Sunday’s GIII, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on turf at Santa Anita.
Medoro, the 4-5 favorite who was seeking her fourth stakes win for trainer Peter Eurton, had seized the lead near the eighth pole after mounting a wide rally coming out of the second turn. But Watchtower, who had settled near the rear of the field, had mounted a late rally of her own. She steadily made-up ground on the heavy favorite in the final furlong and when both fillies hit the wire together, it was Watchtower who had a nose in front.
For Herrera, a 20-year-old native of nearby Inglewood Calif, this was his first Thoroughbred graded-stakes win. He also rides Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds at night at Los Alamitos.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Herrera said. “I wake up every morning and work hard. These are the moments I dreamt about as a little kid and now I get to live them.”
Watchtower (8-1) was aided by what was a hot pace. Wine on Tap, with Hector Berrios aboard, sped off on the lead and went 22.61 for the opening quarter mile and 45.59 seconds to the half mile pole. She would wind up finishing ninth in a 10-horse field.
Following the win, Baltas noted Watchtower “tries really hard. She has a lot of grit.” Watchtower, who was bred in England, is by the Dubawi stallion Demarchelier.
“She is getting better,” Baltas said. “With that being said, she got a good setup today. Diego gave her a good ride. She’s kind of a one-paced filly. I told him, ‘Don’t rush her.’ She broke really well and he did a great job getting her to settle down and make one run.”
Medoro, with Antonio Fresu up, was followed across the wire by Zona Verde (5-1) and Sneaker (10-1). The winning time on firm turf was 1:34.35.
Watchtower is owned by Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Omar Aldabbagh, and Michael Iavarone. She made her first four starts in the east with trainer Chad Brown where she broke her maiden in January at Tampa Bay Downs and won an allowance at Gulfstream Park in April. Subsequently transferred to Baltas, she made her first two California starts at Del Mar this summer. She finished second in a pair of one-mile turf allowance races.
Watchtower paid $19.80, $5.60 and $3.60. Medoro returned $2.40 and $2.10. Zona Verde, ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Phil D’Amato, paid $3.20.
