Sand Springs ($150.000 Purse)
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
April 1, 2023

Heading into the race, Ma Petite Penne looked to us like the one to beat, but the bettors thought otherwise and allowed our pick to go off at odds of 8/1. She didn’t have the same time of resume as others and is why she may have ended up as a longshot, but ever since she started receiving Bute, she has not only been winning, but dominating, with three length victories in her last two starts. Well, now let’s make that her last three starts. Once again, Ma Petite Penne was the class of the field, going out to the lead and staying there, en route to another three-length win. This filly is trained by Night Mare Racing, and it is her first win in the stake. A R Rodriguez came down from PEN to be the winning rider, and it is his first Sand Springs victory as well. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:39.73, the quickest of the three runnings held at this distance. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.41)- Ma Petite Penne isn’t waiting around for anyone, and the Night Mare Racing filly is clear by a length pretty quickly as they move down the front stretch for the first time. It looked like it would be four three-way right behind her, but that would be cut to three moving into the turn. Biggle, the choice of the bettors, is second on the rail for Mb Stables and she has Lotta Carnival right beside her for Oval Express Farms. Threshold’s Chance 2 Ask takes the outside line, and these three are almost as close as the finish of the 9th race at GP today, which saw a three-way dead heat for the win. Red Flags is tucked in right behind them for Maxmillion Farm, and it’s two and a half lengths further back to Love Is Free (Iolaus Racing).

(1/2 Mile- :46.87)- Ma Petite Penne only extends her lead further as they begin the run down the backstretch, pulling out to about two full lengths over the same three wide group for second. Lotta Carnival as the head in front there now, but both Biggle and Chance 2 Ask are right there with her. Red Flags is still content to run right behind them, and at the back Love Is Free is not concerned with any of this as she runs her own race.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Still in front, Ma Petite Penne is certainly having a comfortable time as no one has gotten up to challenge her. In fact, she is only putting more daylight between her and the rest of the field. None of the three stalkers has made a bid at all, and Red Flags only has one option now, and that is to go four wide as she tries to get something out of this race. Love Is Free is still at the back and has not done much as of yet.

(Finish- 1:39.73)- Hopefully after this race, the bettors will never allow Ma Petite Penne to go off at 8/1, or higher, again. She is very much the real deal, and if you needed to see more out of her, the convincing effort she put forth here should do it. The stretch was not a problem for her, as she may have looked like she was just out for a jog today, never being threatened at any point for this win. After she crossed the wire, there was the matter of deciding the exacta, and that will be Love Is Free edging out Red Flags. Lotta Carnival, Chance 2 Ask and Biggle round it out.

About The Winner- Ma Petite Penne, trained by Night Mare Racing and ridden to victory by A R Rodriguez, is a four-year-old filly by Lord Voldemort and is out of the late Pennells. She was bred in New York by her trainer as a first quarter two-year-old, and they have been together throughout! Congratulations to the connections! The win is her third in nine starts and first stake win of any sort. Her career earnings are now $148.400.

Track: Firm
Time: :23²  :46⁴  1:10¹  1:39³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 5 Paid 34.40
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 5 – 6 Paid 979.30

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded