Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy), a two-time graded stakes winner as a juvenile in 2015, returned from six months on the sidelines to record a stylish victory through a driving rain in the GIII Las Flores S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Pretty N Cool broke alertly under Martin Garcia and pressed Sensitively (Street Sense) down the backstretch with favored Constellation (Bellamy Road) shadowing the top two while three wide through a quarter in :21.88. Pretty N Cool swept up to take the lead midway on the turn and quickly opened a clear advantage while straightening out for the drive and completing the half-mile in :44.63. Constellation, making her first start since winning the Dec. 26 GI La Brea S., was unable to reel in the leader down the lane and Pretty N Cool maintained a 1 1/2-length advantage to the wire. Ponder Lea (More Than Ready) was third. The time for the six-furlong race was 1:10.49.
Co-owner Mike Pegram acknowledged he was pretty enthusiastic about Pretty N Cool's chances entering the Las Flores.
“If you look at her work pattern, she was ready to run today and [trainer] Bobby [Baffert] is pretty good off the layoff,” Pegram said. “She looked pretty good today. With this rain, this one was for the love of the game!”
Martin Garcia was pleased with Pretty N Cool's victory.
“She was ready today and I think this is her best distance, six furlongs,” Garcia said. “She has a lot of natural speed. She likes to run with time in between races and does well when she gets it. It was a tough race today but she was pretty impressive. She came back strong.”
Pretty N Cool captured the 2015 GII Sorrento S. and GII Matron S. and was second behind champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Del Mar Debutante S. She concluded her juvenile campaign tiring to fourth after setting the pace while attempting to stretch out to 1 1/16 miles in the GI Starlet S. She made only four starts, all sprinting, as a sophomore and came away with a third-place finish in the GII Santa Ynez S. and a win in the CERF S. She had not raced since finishing sixth in her turf debut in a Sept. 2 optional claimer at Del Mar, but carried a series of strong works into this return effort.
Pedigree Notes:
Pretty N Cool is the first foal out of stakes placed Stayclassysandiego (Rockport Harbor). Breeder Nancy Shuford purchased the mare, with Pretty N Cool in utero, for $120,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November Sale. Now eight, Stayclassysandiego, a half-sister to Grade I winner Sean Avery (Cherokee Run), produced a Scat Daddy filly in 2016 and a colt by Honor Code this year. Her Lemon Drop Kid filly sold for $220,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, while her Scat Daddy filly brought $300,000 as a weanling at last year's Keeneland November sale.
Sunday, Santa Anita Park
LAS FLORES S.-GIII, $100,000, SA, 3-5, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.49, ft.
1–PRETTY N COOL, 120, f, 4, by Scat Daddy
1st Dam: Stayclassysandiego (SP), by Rockport Harbor
2nd Dam: Latin Lynx, by Forest Wildcat
3rd Dam: Senita Lane, by Ascot Knight
($160,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram
& Paul Weitman; B-Nancy C. Shuford (KY); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Martin Garcia. $60,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW & GISP,
11-5-1-1, $498,905. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus.*
Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”elmtree-salesgrad”][bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”]2–Constellation, 124, f, 4, Bellamy Road–For Royalty, by Not
For Love. 'TDN Rising Star' ($155,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; $800,000
2yo '15 OBSMAR). O-LNJ Foxwoods; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY);
T-Jerry Hollendorfer. $20,000.[bullet ad=”winstar-bred”]3–Ponder Lea, 120, m, 5, More Than Ready–Rumba Punch, by
Green Dancer. ($100,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Ackerman Equine,
LLC, Richard Baltas, Nancy Messineo & Bruce Sands; B-Redmon
Farm (KY); T-Richard Baltas. $12,000.[bullet ad=”indiancreek-salesgrad”]Margins: 1 3/4, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 4.90, 0.90, 17.10.
Also Ran: Sensitively, Watch This Cat. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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