Belvoir Bay edges Blame It On Alphie in Mizdirection Stakes thriller
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Photo:
Zoe Metz Photography
Idle since Nov. 26, trainer Peter Miller’s Belvoir Bay scraped paint inside front-running favorite Coniah turning for home and prevailed by a diminishing head over Richard Mandella’s Blame it On Alphie in Sunday’s $75,000 Mizdirection Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden for the first time by Tyler Baze, Belvoir Bay covered 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:13.41.
“I talked to Pete on the phone, and he said to ride her with confidence,” said Baze, who notched his third stakes win of the weekend. “I watched her replays and I rode her like she was the best horse. I knew those other horses were coming, but she gave me everything she had.
A 5-year-old English-bred mare, Belvoir Bay had been on the bench since running a close seventh in the one mile turf, Grade I Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 26. Off at 6-1 in a field of 10 older fillies and mares, she paid $15.40, $7.80 and $5.20.
Owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber, Belvoir Bay, who now has two wins from three starts down the hillside turf, picked up $48,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $378,361. In winning her third graded stakes, her overall mark now stands at 18-7-3-2.
“I knew she was ready,” said Ruben Alvarado, assistant trainer for Miller, who was out of town. “She was training great at Del Mar and she likes this course. Tyler knows she’s got a sensitive mouth, but when those two fillies went (Coniah and speed merchant Mongolian Shopper), he just took a little hold of her and she settled fine. He said when the favorite drifted out crossing the dirt, that was it.”
Blame It On Alphie, who launched a furious rally from off the pace, just missed the win and finished a half length in front of longshot Classy Tune for the place. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Blame It On Alphie was off at 9-1 and paid $10.00 and $6.40.
Ridden by Evin Roman, Classy Tune also rallied from off the pace and was part of a three-horse photo for the show as she finished a head in front of 6-5 favorite Coniah. The longest shot in the field at 51-1, Classy Tune paid $19.80 to show.
Fractions on the race were 21.91, 44.10 and 1:06.98.
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