Their two winners, So happy in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) January 10 and Margarita girl in Sunday’s $100,500 Las Flores Stakes (G3), had many different stories to start their careers, but both led to a successful chapter to close Glatt’s birthday week.
While So Happy quickly reached the winner’s circle, winning 38-1 on her debut, the journey for Margarita Girl who broke her maiden required more patience. Despite showing a lot of talent, the Spinning candy the filly simply couldn’t get the job done with four seconds and a third in her first five starts, including a half-length defeat to winning foes.
However, she finally broke through on August 21 with a 1 1/4 length victory over Sea. With her first start since Sunday, she showed that she is starting to get the hang of this winning thing.
“She’s been special from day one,” Glatt told FanDuel TV’s Kurt Hoover. ‘I couldn’t quite understand why we couldn’t get the job done sooner than last time. … She is all class and she is a good horse. Now we’ll see.’
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Sent off at odds of 4-1 (her first race was not as favourite), jockey Ricardo Gonzalez found a perfect stalking position on the rail when Thermal set fractions of :21.74 and :44.11. Gonzalez bided his time while Emisael Jaramillo got to work challenging the pace setter on board No bad beats and once he did the dirty work, Gonzalez got Margarita Girl out and she got rolling.
“It was perfect for her, she was right behind them,” Gonzalez told Jessica Pyfer of Santa Anita after riding the filly for the first time. “I got her out from the railing, and when it was time to go, she kicked in for me.”
Margarita Girl got past No Bad Beats in the last 16th, winning by 1 3/4 lengths as she completed 6 furlongs in 1:09.19 and paid $10.40 to win. Ooty came third.
“She has always been one of my favorites,” Hans Maron told Pyfer. “She’s just a beautiful racehorse. I’m super excited.”
Bred in Kentucky by Paul and Karen Eggert from the unraced Uncle Mo mare My day Margarita Girl sold for $130,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale before being purchased by the Marons for $575,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ March Sale of 2-year-olds in training the following spring. Under the name Saints or Sinners, the Marons work together with Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners.
Video: Las Flores S. (G3)
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