Buena Vista Mile No Issue for Lambholm Grad Mizdirection
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Feb 19th, 2013
www.BloodHorse.com
by Claire Novak
Photo: Benoit Photography
Mizdirection wins the Buena Vista Stakes.
Only one result ensues when Mizdirection runs on the turf course at Santa Anita Park—win,
win, win. On Feb. 18 the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) victress
turned in a dominant gate-to-wire performance by 2 1/4 lengths over
seven other fillies and mares in the $150,000 Buena Vista Stakes (gr. IIT).
The gritty 5-year-old daughter of Mizzen Mast
is now seven-for-seven on the Santa Anita turf course and has won eight
of her last nine races for trainer Mike Puype. She was never challenged
in the one-mile Buena Vista and handled the added ground with
definitive class coming off a 2013 season opener in the Jan. 6 Monrovia
Stakes (gr. IIT), a 6 1/2-furlong sprint she also won in 2012 for Jungle
Racing and partners.
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith was in the irons aboard Mizdirection
for her Buena Vista run; the racemare relaxed perfectly under his
guidance on the front-end while clicking off opening fractions of :32.78
and :47.00.
"She's just a more mature horse this year and she ran a mile just as
well as she did six and a half," Smith remarked. "So good for us, we
have options now."
Mizdirection was trailed after three-quarters in 1:10.25 by Byrama
and In the Stars
,
and headed into the stretch with the 1 1/2 length advantage she had
maintained throughout. She finished up strongly under one crack of the
left-handed whip and good handling. In the Stars made a strong run up
the inside to best the rest, but could not catch the winner, who
completed the distance in 1:33.50.
"She finished like if someone would have come to her on the outside
or inside, she would have fought them off—she felt like that, anyways,"
Smith said.
Mizdirection, favored at 3-5, returned $3.20, $2.60, and $2.10
while In the Stars paid $4.60 and $3.40 followed by Byrama's $4.40 to
show. Charm the Maker, Long Face, Trois Aureole, A Jealous Woman, and Byrony
completed the order of finish.
It was a second time going a mile for Mizdirection, who won the $90,285 Sandy Blue Handicap at Del Mar
at the same distance in 2011 for her first stakes score. The Buena
Vista win improved her record to 9-4-1 from 14 starts, with earnings of
$1,094,621.
"I felt OK with her on the lead," Puype said. "She was very good;
nice and relaxed and very professional. We've got a lot of options right
now."
The trainer said Mizdirection grabbed a quarter at the start of the race that would be treated back at the barn.
"(She) grabbed a pretty good-sized quarter off that foot, too, so
we're going to have to go to work on that after the race," Puype said.
"It's a testament to how tough she is. She's just a pleasure to have.
She makes me look good.
"We have a lot of options as to what we're going to consider at
this point. She shows up. How do you not look at her record and see 11
starts on turf, eight wins, three seconds, never missed the board in a
start? She's the ultimate professional."
Mizdirection was bred in Kentucky by Joseph J. Perrotta out of the Clever Trick mare Deceptive.
She was a 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase for $85,000
by Litt Bloodstock when consigned by Four Star Sales, agent.
Bloodstock agent Alex Solis Jr. bought her for $50,000 in 2010 at the
Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale when consigned by
Casse Sales, agent.
The mare's connections will plot a campaign backwards from the
Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held Nov. 1-2 at Santa Anita,
Solis Jr. said.
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