Oaklawn: Tiny Temper rallies, reels in Misty Veil to win Azeri

Tiny Temper wore down Misty Veil in the final 50 yards to post an 11-1 upset victory Saturday in Oaklawn’s Grade 2, $400,000 Azeri Stakes.

Making her stakes debut, Tiny Temper overcame a sluggish start to finish a neck ahead of Misty Veil in the 1 1/16-mile race for older fillies and mares. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Bellamore in third. Shotgun Hottie, who finished fourth, was followed in order by 6-5 favorite Hot and Sultry, Soul of an Angel, Comparative and Saddle Up Jessie.

Click here for Oaklawn entries and results.

James Graham rode Tiny Temper for trainer Dallas Stewart and owners Mark and Nancy Stanley.

“She didn’t get away real good, and (Stewart) emphasized that the last time I rode her,” Graham said. “Not that she doesn’t stand good in (the starting gate). It’s like she falls asleep when she gets in there. Today I tried not to let her fall asleep, but I made it worse. When she broke that badly, I didn’t ask her. I just took the reins and let her point her way into the race.”

Last after a half-mile in a modest 48.21 seconds, Tiny Temper began advancing along the rail and toward the leaders in the second turn. Tiny Temper split Bellamore and Misty Veil passing the eighth pole and collared the Misty Veil to her outside in the shadow of the wire.

“(Misty Veil) jumped back across me,” Graham said, referring to a moment toward the rail in upper stretch. “She was going to go around and cut back to the inside. I went around her and got an open lane. and (Tiny Temper) ran to the wire.”

A 4-year-old daughter of deceased champion Arrogate, Tiny Temper covered 1 1/16 miles over a good-rated surface in 1:45.58.

Tiny Temper was exiting an allowance victory at a mile and 70 yards Jan. 25 at Fair Grounds. The Azeri was the third victory in five lifetime starts for Tiny Temper, boosting her earnings to $354,240.

“Don’t be afraid to get in there,” Stewart said. “She showed up big today. We believed in her all along. It’s just taken a while. Hopefully, we’ll get back to the Apple Blossom. After she won (Jan. 25 in an entry-level allowance at Fair Grounds), I was like, ‘We need to be serious about what we’re doing with her quick.’ Just get in some good races. This was on the (radar), for sure.”

The Azeri was the final major local prep for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at 1 1/16 miles April 13.