SSM F/M Turf Sprint ($150.000 Purse)
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward Foaled in CA
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
January 15, 2022

There was much to like about Sweetness in the SSM F/M Turf Sprint. The mare was coming off a fourth place showing at the Grade 1 Matriarch, and had the most earnings of anyone in the field due to being a regular producer in other graded races even if she was not winning them. Based on that, she was the class of the field, but if there was any concern about her in this race it was the distance. Sweetness has made her living running long, but if you looked at the occasional sprints that had been sprinkled in, you still had to be confident. This made her our pick and the pick of most as she was the post time favorite. Sweetness would not have a let down, impressively handing the field in wire to wire fashion for the big win! Enjoying this victory is her trainer High Voltage, who wins the race for the first time, as does jockey A Cedillo. Congratulations to them! The race would go in 1:12.87, which is the quickest of any of the runnings of this race at this distance. Let’s take a look!

(¼ Mile- :22.66)- Sweetness isn’t messing around with this field, as the eventual winner from High Voltage jumps right out to the lead and begins down the downhill portion with a lead of about two lengths. Behind her, Win For Red, with the Blue #3 on her is second, running to the inside of a three wide group for Bkm Racing. To her outside are London Racing’s Trouble Free, and the Wolf Ridge Stables-trained entry, Delorean. In the middle of the field, Calming Angie (Arindel) runs by herself, and the trailers are Calamity Jean (Angelos Stable) and Art Of Laughter (Rampage Stable).

(½ Mile- :44.52, Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- It continues to be all Sweetness today, and for a horse that is used to going long more than she is sprinting, you had to be confident that she had plenty left in the tank. Her lead was two lengths, and no one was applying any pressure to her. Win For Red, if it wasn’t for Sweetness, could have been looking pretty good here too, as she pulled a length ahead of both Trouble Free and Delorean, two horses that had been running beside her earlier in the race. Those two seemed to be losing ground at this point. Gaining ground, however, was Calamity Jean, and she would do so by taking four wide. It was highly unlikely she would threaten for the win, but Angelos Stable could still hope for a second or third place cut of the purse. Art Of Laughter had a lane available to her in the stretch if she could make a run. Calming Angie was backing out of it.

(Finish- 1:12.87)- Sweetness would put on a fantastic performance here in the SSM F/M Turf Sprint, and there would be no catching her in the stretch. None of her rivals would even get near her, so well done to Sweetness and High Voltage on this dominant performance. It did get interesting to see who would finish off the exacta tickets, and in a very tight photo for second, Calamity Jean and her outside run would be second best, narrowly over Art Of Laughter and the resurgent Delorean. Win For Red was in this photo as well, but ends up a frustrating fifth. Trouble Free and Calming Angie finish it off.

About The Winner- Sweetness, trained by High Voltage and ridden to victory by A Cedillo, is a five year old mare by Anybody Home and is out of the late Laggy Pip. She was bred in California by Jader Stable as a first quarter two year old, and acquired by High Voltage, via Stetman, for $40.000 in an October 2019 private sale. The win is her seventh in 27 starts, and her fourth stake win. Her career earnings are now $814.950.

Track: Firm
Time: :22³  :44²  1:07   1:12⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 7 Paid 21.80
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 7 – 1 Paid 46.70

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded