Chasing Yesterday overcomes adversity to win Sunland Park Oaks
American Pharoah’s half-sister earned a chance Sunday for some of her own glory at Churchill Downs when Chasing Yesterday ran to her billing in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks.
The Bob Baffert-trained daughter of Tapit, who’s out of the mare Littleprincessemma, qualified for the May 3 Kentucky Oaks after overcoming an especially slow start in New Mexico.
Under jockey Drayden Van Dyke, the filly rallied five wide through the first turn, then took control up the back stretch, still outside a pair of rivals. She clicked through 3/4 of a mile in 1:11.75 to hit the top of the lane alone, then finished up under mild urging to win at 1-9.
"The horse next to her acted up," Baffert said, "and then she started moving. She sort of hopped up at the start, and I started having some really bad nightmares. Thankfully, she's such a good filly that she gathered herself right away.
"Down the backside I felt pretty good that, well, you can spot them a little bit, and we'll find out how really good of a mare she is. She showed today that her class prevailed after a horrible start like that."
"I was so hopeful that she would run a good race," said Chasing Yesterday's Summer Wind Equine owner and breeder, Jane Lyon. "I had a lot of confidence in her, and then I thought, 'Whoops.' But I'm very, very proud of her, and Bob kept saying, 'You're OK. You're OK.'
"He kept me from hyperventilating."
Multiple graded stakes winner Bellafina, entered in this spot last weekend, scratched to remain at her California base for the April 6 Santa Anita Oaks (G1).
Baffert said Chasing Yesterday, a Grade 1 winner of the Starlet Stakes (G1) in her last start, would return to California to train toward the Kentucky Oaks. The filly has now won five of her six career starts with Sunday's victory off the layoff -- and more than a week after her scheduled return delayed due to the temporary halt to racing at Santa Anita.
"It looks like she handled it well," Baffert said. "She wasn't too tired."