From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (May 23, 2015)–Allowed to idle in the early stages, favored Sheer Pleasure turned on the after-burners at the top of the lane and went on to a devastating 7 ¼ length win under Tyler Baze in Saturday’s $200,000 Melair Stakes. Conditioned by Phil D’Amato, bred by Madera Thoroughbreds and owned by Little Red Feather Racing and RM Racing, Sheer Pleasure got a mile and a sixteenth in 1:42.78. (Run as Santa Anita’s seventh race, the Melair, for 3-year-old fillies, is part of the Golden State Series which is restricted to horses bred or sired in California).
The 4-5 favorite in a field of seven 3-year-old fillies, Sheer Pleasure paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.40. A winner of the 6 ½ furlong Evening Jewel Stakes at Santa Anita on April 4, Sheer Pleasure notched her third win from five starts and with the winner’s share of $110,000, increased her earnings to $257,450.
“I don’t think me being near the lead was a matter of me trying to put her somewhere, it was a matter of getting her comfortable and her finding her stride,” said Baze, who teamed with D’Amato four races earlier to win the $150,000 Spring Fever Stakes with Sunday Rules. “It was a great win today, she’s a great filly.”
D’Amato, who has had Sheer Pleasure since her debut last December, was understandable elated.
“The way she won, she might be one for open company, so we’ll just play it by ear,” he said. “She trained very well. She’s trained as well as she ever had. I thought we’d have a good shot but the way she opened up in the stretch was a pleasant surprise.”
Billy Koch, representing co-owner Little Red Feather Racing, summed up Sheer Pleasure’s attributes thusly: “You see her in the paddock and she doesn’t turn a hair, then she comes out with all these people and she just blows me away. She’s tiny and sometimes they can just run. And she can run.”
Runner-up Thermodynamics, who sat second to pacesetter Tribal Express, was some 7 ¾ lengths clear of third place finisher, longshot Barbara Beatrice. Ridden by Gary Stevens, Thermodynamics was the third choice in the wagering and paid $4.20 and $2.80.
Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Barbara Beatrice was off at 18-1 and paid $5.20 to show.
Fractions on the race were 23.54, 46.99, 1:11.33 and 1:36.31.