Classy Selcourt rockets to win Santa Anita's Kalookan Queen Stakes

Lightly raced but always promising, Selcourt rocketed from the gate under Tyler Baze and held her advantage throughout, taking Sunday’s$75,000 Kalookan Queen Stakes by 7 ½ lengths. Trained by John Sadler, the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tiz Wonderful got 6 ½ furlongs in a fast 1:15.88.

Idle since third in an ungraded stakes going seven furlongs here on May 14, Selcourt, who had been favored in her three previous starts, was off as the 3-1 second choice in a field of eight older fillies and mares and paid $8.40, $5.40 and $4.00.

“She ran against really high-class form last year -- Union Strike, etc.," said winning trainer John Sadler. "Nothing but good fillies. She came back and she’s been training really well. She liked the track last year and she’s just been floating over it in the mornings this winter. I didn’t think we needed to go in non-winners of one, I wanted to get a stakes win with her so we came back in here.

Bred by Keith Abrahams and owned by Abrahams, Medallion Racing or Lazaruk, Selcourt now has two wins from her four starts and with the winner’s check of $46,440, she increased her earnings to $103,920.

Fourth with a quarter mile to run, Cuddle Alert kept to her task wide-out and was second by 1 ¼ lengths. Ridden by Alonso Quinonez, Cuddle Alert was off at 9-1 and paid $8.40 and $4.60.

Forwardly placed throughout, Nick Alexander’s homebred Cuyathy was third best, finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of 7-5 favorite Princess Karen, who had no apparent excuses.

Off at 10-1 with Austin Solis, Cuyathy paid $6.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.77, 44.28 and 1:09.30.

Source: Santa Anita news release