From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 7, 2018)–Winless in her last six starts, California-bred Skye Diamonds stalked the early pace and turned on the jets at the top of the Santa Anita stretch as she ran down favored Anonymity in taking Sunday’s Grade III, $100,000 LA Woman Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths. Ridden by Tiago Pereira and trained by Bill Spawr, the 5-year-old mare by First Dude got 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.56.
“My plan was to let Yuvetsi and Anonymity go because they’re fast and were clearly the speed,” said Pereira, who has ridden Skye Diamonds in 14 out of her last 15 starts. “But when I saw Show It N Moe It go too, I loved it because that was good for me too.
“I let them all go and was able to easily duck out to the outside (heading to the far turn). By the three eighths pole, she was pulling me, ready to go, so I let her. I just kept her focused down the lane but she was full of run. It couldn’t have set up better for us.”
The third choice at 9-2 in a field of five fillies and mares three and up, Skye Diamonds paid $11.20, $3.40 and $2.80.
Bred by Dizney Double Diamond and owned by Allen Racing, LLC, Bloom Racing Stables, LLC, Tom Acker and Jon Lindo, Skye Diamonds was claimed by Spawr for $40,000 15 starts back on Aug. 26, 2016. Today she notched her third graded win for her current connections and her seventh overall since the purchase.
With the winner’s share of $60,000, Skye Diamonds now has earnings of $690,150 from an overall mark of 23-10-4-3.
“The way everything developed today, it was just perfect,” said part owner Lindo. “We sent her last time (a third place finish in the Grade III Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 12) and that was a mistake. Tiago knows her so well…Turning for home, I felt really confident because she just wants to beat you. As an owner, that’s an indescribable feeling.”
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Anonymity broke from the far outside and sat second through the first quarter mile to Yuvetsi, made the lead around the far turn only to be overhauled by the winner a furlong out.
Off at 3-5, Anonymity finished 4 ¼ lengths in front of Show It N Moe It and paid $2.40 and $2.10.
Show It N Moe It, the second California-bred in the lineup, was off at 9-1 and paid $3.60 to show as she finished 8 ¼ lengths in front of Classy Tune.
Yuvetsi, who beat both Anonymity and Skye Diamonds in the Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar, tired badly and finished last as the 2-1 second choice in the wagering.