From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (April 11, 2015)–California-bred Home Journey broke running and never looked back en route to a convincing one length win in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano and trained by Mike Puype, the 5-year-old Good Journey mare negotiated 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:13.09.
“She ran really fast last time and just got nailed (when second to Las Cienegas favorite Go West Marie in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint on Jan. 24),” said Puype. “Today, she slowed it down a little bit, she kicked, and she ran a good race.”
The second choice at 3-1 in a field of eight older fillies and mares, Home Journey paid $8.40, $3.60 and $3.40. Owned by her breeders, Mark and Daryle Ann Giardino, along with Russell Sarno, Home Journey notched her first stakes win in the Las Cienegas and improved her overall mark to 12-5-3-0. With the winner’s share of $60,000, she improved her earnings to $279,920.
“It was worth it,” is how Mark Giardino described getting his first graded stakes win as an owner/breeder. “This is wonderful,” is how his wife, Daryle Ann, described the win. “We’ve been doing this for over 25 years. My dad (famous actor, Slim Pickens) and mom loved race horses. When I was a kid, Farrell Jones was our trainer.”
Bejarano, who rode Home Journey for the first time, said, “She’s got a lot of natural speed. I didn’t send her, I took hold and tried to get her to go slow and relax. When we crossed the dirt, I had enough horse to win it.”
Trained by Eddie Truman and ridden by Gary Stevens, Go West Marie rallied from sixth early to be second, finishing 2 ¾ lengths clear of Blingismything. Off at 3-2, Go West Marie paid $3.00 and $2.40.
“My filly ran her eyeballs out, she just ran so good,” said Truman. “There was no pace in the race. That’s a nice filly (Home Journey). She’s got so much gas, and if something doesn’t go with her, how are you going to come from seven lengths off?”
Ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Blingismything was dispatched at 7-1 and rallied from next to last for the show, paying $4.00.
Fractions on the race were 21.77, 43.85 and 1:06.96.
There is a Pick Six carryover into Sunday of $96,311 and it’s expected Sunday’s total pool will exceed $500,000. There is also a Pick 5 carryover into Sunday of $45,982.