Overwhelming Favorite Dressed in Hermes Takes Pasadena

A close third heading into the far turn, favored Dressed in Hermes rallied three-wide turning for home and overhauled pacesetter It’s The Ice a sixteenth of a mile from home en route to a three quarter length win under Mike Smith in Sunday’s $75,000 Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita.  Trained by San Luis Rey Downs-based Janet Armstrong, Dressed in Hermes got a mile over a turf course labeled “good” in 1:37.71.

“We vanned up early yesterday and schooled him in the paddock yesterday afternoon,” said Armstrong.  “We weren’t concerned about the soft turf because he ran a good fifth in the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf, one mile) at Keeneland last fall against some of the best horses in the world.”

A 3-year-old gelding by the Sunday Silence stallion, Hat Trick, Dressed in Hermes was bred in Kentucky by his owner, Budget Stable.  Off at 2-5 in a field of six 3-year-olds, Dressed in Hermes, who was a non-threatening fourth on dirt in the Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 6, paid $2.80, $2.10 and $2.10.  He now has three wins, all on turf, from seven starts and with the winner’s share of $47,700, his earnings are now $219,300.

“He really is a nice horse to ride,” said Smith.  “He has a little bit of pull, but the kind that you like.  He gives you confidence the whole time.  He’s a big horse so I was able to make my way out from the rail and down the backstretch, I let him stretch his legs out a little and it worked out great.

“He gets a little discombobulated when he switches leads…I think if someone came up to him though, he would have fought back.  I had plenty of horse left.”

Ridden by Santiago Gonzalez, English-bred It’s The Ice was off at 3-1 and paid $2.80 and $2.10.

Sorryaboutnothing sat second until deep stretch and ran gamely for third money under Mario Gutierrez, finishing a neck in front of an on-coming Arcature.  Off at 24-1, Sorryaboutnothing paid $4.00 to show.