The Sweetest Chant (Grade 3)- $100.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies Three Years Old’
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
February 5, 2022
Even though The Sweetest Chant features several fillies that ran in the BC, it didn’t look like one of them would be the one to beat. Perfect Class came into the race with three wins in four starts, including a big win in the Grade 3 Durant, making her our pick and the post-time favorite. She would impress again here, with a nearly two length win for trainer Sccj Stables. It is the first time that the trainer has won this race, and that is also true for jockey Mario Gutierrez. Congratulations to them! The time of the race, the first ever run at this distance, was 1:39.95. Let’s take a look!
(¼ Mile- :23.61)- Two horses emerge quicker out of the gate than the rest of the field and they would lead the way into the opening turn. On the inside, Swam Pass held the rail for TwinTowersRacing as Zola, from Royalty Stables, ran to her outside. Behind them, we would have a group of three a length and a half behind, and they ran side by side by side. Hoodoo Chase was on the inside for Alydar Stables here, then Mo Mentum Farm’s Mon Dieu in the middle, and on the outside, we would have our eventual winner, Perfect Class, for Sccj Stables. Molecule (D J C Racing Stables) was next, moving up a bit from being a part of the next group of three initially. That move would leave Exclusive Native W9 (Williams9) and Drive In (Greeko Holdem) to run by themselves. The next group of three would be Confederate Warrior (Paradise Stable), Stayinschoolrene (Rock Creek), and Ode To My Family (Arindel), leaving Dont Drink The Water (Angelos Stable) to run by herself.
(½ Mile- :46.92)- There is no change at the front as Swam Pass and Zola continue to match one another’s stride at the front with little separation between them. Running third would now be Perfect Class, and she uses this time to pull ahead of the others that were running in her group of three to now be a length ahead of them while being in a good lane to potentially make a move on the leaders. Hoodoo Chase and Mon Dieu were to her inside still, and now Molecule pulled even with them in the fourth lane. After a length and a half, Exclusive Native W9 pulled a half length ahead of Confederate Warrior and Drive In while not much else was happening further back.
(Top Of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Perfect Class would pull closer to the two frontrunners as the backstretch run concluded, and as soon as the turn began, she would make her move to take over the lead. Neither Swam Pass nor Zola could do anything about this challenge, and Perfect Class seemed to complete the pass quite easily. By the time she hit the top of the stretch, she was all by herself in front, with nearly a length and a half lead on Swam Pass. Zola was having a little more difficulty, and dropping further behind. For the time being, we would see no new challengers as Hoodoo Chase, Mon Dieu, and Molecule still ran in the middle of the field but were not making a push. Exclusive Native W9 advanced a little bit, and positioned herself well to take a lane to pull up behind Molecule. The others had not shown much as of yet.
(Finish- 1:39.95)- There is no let up for Perfect Class once in the stretch, as the same kind of kick in her stride that she showed in the turn was on display all the way to the wire. It ends up being a comfortable win for her, nearly two lengths, and only a valiant effort by Exclusive Native W9 to weave through traffic kept this from being an even bigger rout. For Exclusive Native W9, it was a good looking push, and she is a length and a half over third place Swam Pass. Stayinschoolrene woke up way too late, but it did get her a piece of the purse as she narrowly takes fourth over Hoodoo Chase. The rest of the order will go down as Drive In, Molecule, Zola, Mon Dieu, Dont Drink The Water, Ode To My Family, and Confederate Warrior.
About The Winner- Perfect Class, trained by Sccj Stables and ridden to victory by Mario Gutierrez, is a three year old filly by Asset Class, and is out of Rosemari Perfect. She was bred in California as a second quarter two year old, and they have been together throughout! Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fourth in five starts, and her second stake win, each of which are graded. Her career earnings are now $231.240.
Track: Firm
Time: :233 :464 1:101 1:394
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 10 – 3 Paid 80.40
$1 Trifecta: 10 – 3 – 2 Paid 1,261.50
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
