BC Fillies & Mares Sprint (Grade 1)- $1,000.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
November 4, 2023
The top female sprinters made their way to SA to crown a BC champion amongst them in the running of the BC Fillies & Mares Sprint. There may be races that get a little more fanfare, but that doesn’t mean that we should not give these fine runners their just due. Amongst them was Lady Sammyantha, a five-year-old Ginger Haggis mare who was making her second appearance in the race. The previous occasion, 2021, saw her finish fifth, and now she would do much better, prevailing in a photo over Eight Seconds to become a BC champion. Those were our top two picks in the preview as well, but we had them the other way around. Lady Sammyantha came into the race on the heels of back-to-back wins in Grade 2’s, and now her third win in a row gives The Sidley Stud his fourth career BC win, and first in this race. Jockey D E Centeno is a first-time winner as well. Congratulations to them! The time of the race was 1:21.64, the third quickest of the running’s at SA. Let’s take a look at it!
(1/4 Mile- :22.58)- There was no one in the field that seemed to be shot out of the starting gate, but it would be the High Voltage- trained Spring Street prevailing in a battle with Bay The Lady for the top spot. The Mb Stables filly was able to draw in with the scratch of Baptisted By Fire. Sigatoka runs third, giving us another one from an outside post looking strong early, and running behind that Bears Stable entry is TwinTowersRacing’s Starship Twister, who is to her inside. Parade Leader (Fractious) and Christina G (Mb Stables) are close by to them. In the middle of the field, the next three run evenly even if they were not side by side by side. Among them is our eventual race winner, The Sidley Stud’s Lady Sammyantha, who is running right behind Sigatoka. Eight Seconds, trained by Wood Duck Stables, is next to her right from the start as well with Up She Flew, who ends up running third, being even with them on the rail for Riggins Racing. Devils Bride (Fractious) and Last Lady (Lindeman Prairie) are next, and trailing are Nolo Contendere (Riggins Racing), Siouxbiscuit (Mb Stables), and Smokin Cara (Alydar Stables).
(1/2 Mile- :45.65)- Down the backstretch, Spring Street and Bay The Lady upper hand to battle it out, and we start to see Spring Street get the upper hand as we approach the top of the turn. Up She Flew is running very well on the rail and takes over the third spot as Sigatoka starts to drop back and Starship Twister runs evenly. Parade Leader and Christina G had plenty of room to make a push at this point, but they were either unwilling or unable to do so. Lady Sammyantha bides her time while running on the outside, and Eight Seconds looked like she may have traffic trouble looming for her. Nolo Contendere started making some progress on the rail, and Devils Bride was still in the mix. Last Lady was beginning to call it a day as Siouxbiscuit was in the back with traditional deep closer, Smokin Cara.
(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Midway into the turn, we see Lady Sammyantha show her intentions of moving up through the field and getting to the front. She still had more work to do but was clearly one to watch at this point. It’s still Spring Street leading, and she’s put away Bay The Lady. Up She Flew seemed like she would have been closer to the lead now, based on how she was looking towards the end of the backstretch, but she was only heads apart with Starship Twister. Parade Leader was with this group, though Christina G was falling out of it. This is where we saw Lady Sammyantha, as she was up to seventh. A length behind her were Eight Seconds and Sigatoka. Also, when you have a closer of Smokin Cara’s caliber, everyone needs to be wary of where she is, but for now, she’s still mired near the back with about five lengths to make up on the leader.
(Finish- 1:21.64)- Just the way things should be in a race of this stature, many of the horses seemed to have a decent shot, but it would be Lady Sammyantha, making her outside lane work and taking the lead with a little more than half a furlong to go. It was not over, though, as Eight Seconds was doing everything that she could, and too many others were close by. Lady Sammyantha is a veteran and didn’t get here because she doesn’t have plenty of stretch desire, and she would dig into that to ensure that no one would get by her, as she goes on to the win! Eight Seconds get a second here, prevailing over Up She Flew and a dead heat for fourth between Smokin Cara, who make a valiant bid, she was simply too far back when it started, as well as Christina G. Starship Twister was as close to them as one could be without having it be a three-way dead heat. Parade Leader is next, topping Siouxbiscuit, Spring Street, Nolo Contendere, Devils Bride, Sigatoka, Bay The Lady, and living up to her name, Last Lady.
About The Winner- Lady Sammyantha, trained by The Sidley Stud, and ridden to victory by D E Centeno, is a five-year-old mare by Ginger Haggis and is out of Madame Broulard. She was bred in Ontario as a yearling by The Sidley Stud, the only trainer for which she has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her eleventh in 37 starts, her ninth stake win, and seven graded wins. Her career earnings are now $2,040.640.
Track: Fast
Time: :222 :453 1:094 1:213
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 10 – 6 Paid 83.50
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 6 – 1 Paid 403.90
Scratched: Dialing, Flyingbolt, Baptisted By Fire, Fearless Move
— NS
Categories: BC 2021-2023
