From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 8, 2018)–At 33-1, the longest shot in a field of six juvenile fillies in Monday’s $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita, Northern California Yearling Sale graduate Lakerball sped to the lead from her outside post and held sway throughout under Mario Gutierrez, winning by a head as heavily favored Summering could manage no better than a third place finish under Drayden Van Dyke. Trained by Doug O’Neill, Lakerball got a mile on turf in 1:35.23 and provided her sire, the late running sprinter Lakerville, with his first stakes winner from his first crop to race.
A California-bred maiden $50,000 winner going 5 ½ furlongs on dirt two starts back Aug. 8, she was well beaten versus state breds in a first condition allowance at the same distance on Sept. 2. In her first try on grass and around two turns, Lakerball, in her fourth career start, paid $69.60, $27.00 and $5.00.
Owned by Janie Buss’s Purple Rein Racing, Pappas Racing and Tom Roberts, Lakerball is out of the Capsized mare Category Ten and was bred by Rancho de Los Aviadores. With the Surfer Girl win, she picked up $60,000, increasing her earnings to $84,480 while improving her race record to 4-2-0-1.
Ridden by Joe Talamo, Irish-bred Lady Prancealot was next to last after the first half mile and held off Summering by 1 ½ lengths for second money. Off at 7-2, Lady Prancealot paid $5.40 and $2.20.
Although many expected heavily favored Summering to go to the early lead, she was in-hand into the Club House turn and never seemed entirely comfortable while lugging in a bit through the lane under Van Dyke. Off at 2-5, she finished three quarters of a length in front of Miss Bigly and paid $2.10 to show.
Fractions on the race were 23.14, 47.44, 1:12.00 and 1:23.71.