Taris Runs Away with the Grade 1 Humana Distaff
Breaking from post eight in the grade one Humana Distaff, Taris sat in third just off the pace, but could not be stopped after turning for home. The five-year-old Flatter mare ran straight by the leader and kept on going to win by 5 3/4 lengths.
At the break, Stonetastic ran straight to her usual spot on the lead and set quick fractions of :22.19 and :44.95 through the first half mile. Super Saks stalked the leader, trailed by Taris and Enchanting Lady. Coming out of the final turn, Taris hit another gear and easily cruised past Stonetastic at the three-sixteenths pole to run 3/4 of a mile in 1:08.84. Stonetastic put in a game fight to finish second two lengths ahead of Enchanting Lady, but was unable to inch closer to Taris. The final time for the seven furlong race was 1:21.03.
Winning jockey Flavien Prat was pleased with how the race set up for his mount. “I had a good trip,” he commented. “It was the trip I was hoping for. I was happy coming into the turn and the pace was what I wanted. When she turned for home, she was gone.”
"My filly tried really hard,” Paco Lopez said of Stonetastic.” No real excuse. The other filly (Taris) beat me really easy."
Taris paid $8.40, $4.20, and $3.20 to win, Stonetastic paid $4.20 and $3.20 to place, and Enchanting Lady paid $3.80 to show.
2015 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue finished in fourth followed by Birdatthewire, You Bought Her, Super Saks, Sarah Sis, and Kathballlu.
Taris was bred by Claiborne Farm and sold for $90,000 to Commonwealth New Era Racing in the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale. Two years later she was purchased for $2,350,000 by Simon Callaghan at Fasig-Tipton’s mixed November sale and now races for Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and John Magnier.
“There’s a little bit of pressure with such a high purchase price,” her trainer Simon Callaghan said, “but she deserved it and she deserved it before this. We couldn’t be happier. It was a perfect trip. We thought there would be speed up to the inside and we just got a nice, clean trip and it just worked out perfectly.”
Taris improved her record to 13-8-2-2, winning $178,560 from the Humana Distaff to boost her earnings to $1,086,260. The race was her first grade one win.
“We might stretch her back out a little bit,” said Callaghan, “back in California the ($400,000) Vanity ((GI), June 4) is a mile this year. We might do that. We’ll think about it, but there are lots of options. The Breeders’ Cup (Filly and Mare Sprint) at the end of the year is the obvious goal.”
By Christine Oser