Yuugiri and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. capture the Carousel (Coady Photography)
Oaklawn Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.— Sekie & Tsunebumi Yoshihara’s 2022 Fantasy winner Yuugiri has returned to Oaklawn this season even stronger, winning her second straight impressively in Saturday’s $150,000 Carousel Stakes for older female sprinters.
Yuugiri, the 3-2 favorite, and recent Poinsettia Stakes winner Pretty Birdie both broke sharply and quickly distanced themselves from the field through early fractions of :21 2/5 and :44 4/5 for the first half mile with Pretty Birdie holding the slight advantage. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. moved Yuugiri out to the three path entered the stretch and she kicked clear late to draw off to win by 3 ½ lengths over her rival. Hazy Command closed from last to be third. The winning time was 1:10 over a sloppy track.
“The good ones, they can do anything,” winning trainer Rodolphe Brisset said. “Obviously, last time we saw she liked the mud. Today, was a little bit sloppier, I think. They went a (half-mile) in :44 and he (Ricardo Santana Jr.) decided to take her back a little bit. He gave her a breather and she re-engaged. We know she knows how to dig in. She won at a mile and a sixteenth. Everything went as planned.”
“She’s a really nice filly. I’m very thankful for Rodolphe for letting me ride her again,” Santana Jr. said after the win. “There was some speed in the race so I was wanted to make sure she didn’t go too fast too early. Around the turn I took her off the rail and went to (Pretty Birdie’s) outside and she tried really hard the whole way.”
Yuugiri, a 4-year-old Shackleford filly, won for the fourth time in eight starts and has now earned $714,285. She returned $5, $3 and $2.20.
Brisset said the next objective for Yuugiri is the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland April 8.
Live racing resumes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. first post.
