Guapaza gets the jump on Suffused in Waya
August 6th, 2016
Jockey Javier Castellano had her creep forward approaching the final turn, and that put her on the premises to overtake ambitious pacesetter Photo Call in the stretch. Suffused was making strong headway late, but Guapaza staved her off by a head in a final time of 2:25.96 for 1 1/2 miles on the firm inner turf.
Guapaza handed trainer Chad Brown his fourth win on the card and second stakes, following Shining Copper’s thriller in the Lure. Brown captured a six-furlong dirt maiden with promising juvenile Practical Joke and a turf maiden with sophomore Tricked Up.
The Chilean-bred Guapaza was also complimenting stablemate Sea Calisi ahead of next Saturday’s Beverly D. (G1). Second to Sea Calisi in the May 7 Sheepshead Bay (G2), Guapaza was third to Dacita and the troubled Sea Calisi in the June 10 New York (G2). Dacita has since returned to add the Diana (G1) at the Spa.
That was a pretty serious formline for Guapaza to take into the 1 1/2-mile River Memories on July 10, and Guapaza obliged at odds of 4-5. The step up in trip, while swerving the aces in her barn, served her well, and the same held true in the Waya.
While Photo Call was the likely front runner, few could have forecast her rollicking opening quarter in :23.28. Her nearest pursuer was Brown’s secondary hope, Ball Dancing, and the pair were clear of the field through fractions of :48.15 and 1:13.04. That gap began to close approaching the mile mark in 1:37.89.
Ball Dancing was the first to range up to Photo Call’s throat latch in upper stretch, but Guapaza swept past both of them in short order. Meanwhile, Suffused, who had been racing in proximity to Guapaza early, didn’t launch her bid until the winner had flown.
As a filly who was actually shortening up in distance off a course-record romp in the Belmont Coronation Invitational (G1), Suffused should have been stoked up a bit earlier to make best use of her stamina. The Juddmonte homebred did well to erase nearly all of the deficit against a classy rival with a sharper turn of foot.
Achnaha, who brushed the gate at the start, closed from last to finish a clear third. Ball Dancing was a creditable fourth after chasing the pace. Desiree Clary also passed Photo Call, leaving the pacesetter back in sixth. Trophee, Treve’s half-sister, made a middle move into third before weakening to seventh. Early stalkers Vielsalm and Real Smart were the final two finishers. Al’s Gal was scratched in favor of the Beverly D.
Guapaza’s sixth career stakes score improved her record to The Seeking the Dia mare was a four-time stakes winner in Chile, and left her homeland in top form off a pair of Group 2 victories last year. She also notably placed to Dacita in the 2014 Polla de Potrancas (G1) and Las Oaks (G1). Guapaza picked up right where she left off with a fine U.S. bow in the March 5 The Very One (G3) at Gulfstream, finishing third to Olorda and familiar foe Dacita, before heading to New York.
Bred by Haras Matancilla, Guapaza was produced by the Group 1-placed Dushyantor mare Guampa, who was herself runner-up in Las Oaks. Guampa is in turn a full sister to Chilean champion miler Don Gambino.
Photo courtesy NYRA/Coglianese Photography.
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