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| Santa Teresita cruises to victory in the Santa Maria. Order This Photo Photo: Benoit |
Ridden to perfection by Joe Talamo, the 5-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid swept by the pacesetter Briecat on the far turn and refused to give way in the stretch after opening a big lead to cross the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front at odds of 13-1. The winning time for the 1 1/16-mile journey on the Pro-Ride synthetic track was 1:41.88.
Marzelline, along the inside, and Model, on the far outside, both had Santa Teresita in their sights through the lane, but could not make an impact on the winner late and wound up in a dead-heat for second. The multiple grade II winner Leah's Secret came home fourth in what was probably her final start. Visit, the 3-2 favorite trained by Bobby Frankel, raced at the back of the pack and had no response in her first try on synthetics for jockey Garrett Gomez, finishing sixth.
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