Majestic Heat dazzles in Bayakoa Handicap win at Los Alamitos

By Jonathan Lintner 

Last time out, Majestic Heat made a successful transition from turf to dirt in Del Mar’s Betty Grabble Stakes. Sunday, she stepped up into Grade 2 company and looked just as comfortable on the main track going two turns.

With a strong outside move under jockey Mike Smith, the 5-year-old daughter of Unusual Heat chased down last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and went on to beat Champagne room with ease in the $200,000 Bayakoa Handicap.

"We were just joking about how long it took us to figure out that she's a dirt horse," said Madeline Auerbach, who co-owns and bred Majestic Heat.

The final time for 1 1/16 miles at Los Alamitos was 1:42.15 for a Richard Mandella trainee who could loom large next year in the distaff division.

"I thought she ran very well today," Mandella said. "It gives us a lot of options for next year.’’

Majestic Heat ran off Champagne Room’s opening fractions of 22.86 for the quarter mile before a half in 46.73, drifting widest of them all through the turn.

Shady Love ran third in the field of 10.

Majestic Heat ran 14 races on grass before switching surfaces, with her top turf performances a pair of black type stakes wins.

Auerbach was also associated with sire Unusual Heat, who tends to produce horses that improve with a congested schedule. Majestic Heat was running back from a Nov. 12 win.

"The other trait that's fairly common is, they get better as they get over," she said. "There's no way to hurry them. They're there when they're there -- but they get there."