Spendarella wins Oaks going away
Gaffalione rides filly to victory in Grade I at Del Mar
DEL MAR » Spendarella might have been the 6-5 favorite in Saturday’s $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Oaks, but the 3-year-old daughter of Karakontie won like a 1-5 shot, blowing away the other 12 fillies to win by 4½ lengths.
Breaking from the 11 post in the 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies, jockey Tyler Gaffalione gave the winner a perfect ride, establishing position early on and guiding Spendarella to her fourth victory in five starts.
“When (Gaffalione) got that nice spot coming into the bend, she relaxed and I thought, ‘OK now he’s put her in a spot where if she’s good enough she’s going to win,” said Alice Clapham, assistant to trainer Graham Motion. “To win going away like that is pretty incredible.”
Spendarella, who won her first Grade I to add to Grade II and Grade III scores, was third up the backside and went past pacesetters Gracelund Gray and Cairo Memories turning for home. She sped way and was never threatened in the stretch to easily outfinish Bellabel, the 7-2 second choice.
Clapham said the outside post didn’t terribly concern her.
“With the chute here you’ve got plenty of time to hopefully get across and into position,” she said. “(Gaffalione) gave her the best ride he could.”
Spendarella, a $220,000 purchase, has put together quite a resume during her short career. She broke her maiden by 2¾ lengths at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 22, followed up with a 1½-length victory in the Grade III Herecomesthebride Stakes at the South Florida track on March 5 and then won the Grade II Appalachian at Keeneland on April 9 by 1¾ lengths.
Perhaps her most impressive race was a runnerup
Spendarella, a 3-year-old filly with Tyler Gaffalione aboard, earned her first career Grade I victory by taking the $300,000Del Mar Oaks as the 6-5favorite on Saturday.
finish behind top European filly Inspiral in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 22. Inspiral went on to beat the boys in a Grade I stake at Deauville in France in her next start on Aug. 14.
“She got beat by a very good filly that day,”
Clapham said of the Royal Ascot race. “We went out there, she’s going the wrong way for her, and she ran a huge race that day.”
Gaffalione, who rode Spendarella in her Grade II victory, was super impressed by the winner.
“I had a terrific trip,”
he said. “She broke alertly and we took up a good spot behind the speed. When we cleared the chute, she dropped the bit and relaxed. She’s special. I have to give Graham and his team all the credit. I’m just happy I got to ride her. I don’t get to ride too many like her.”
Due to a continued technical issue, we are unable to publish results from Friday or Saturday’s card at Del Mar. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Clapham has been with Motion since 2007 and she can’t remember many turf horses like Spendarealla in his barn.
“If she keeps going this way, she’ll be right up there with Better Talk Now and Main Sequence,” she said. “She’s still young, she’s still learning, so she’s hopefully still got a lot ahead of her.”
The victory was Motion’s second of the Del Mar meet without a loss. He won with Sister Otoole in Friday’s CTT and TOC Stakes for fillies and mares. Clapham also saddled that winner.
Winning time for the Del Mar Oaks was 1:47.09 and gave Motion his seventh career stakes victory at the seaside track. The victory was the second stakes triumph for Gaffalione at Del Mar.