MARTHA WASHINGTON STAKES

Sister Ginger hits stride from start, wins at 19-1

Jockey Ricardo Santana brings Sister Ginger home 2 3/4 lengths in front of favored Rose to Gold in Saturday’s Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.
Jockey Ricardo Santana brings Sister Ginger home 2 3/4 lengths in front of favored Rose to Gold in Saturday’s Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

— Draw a line through that 2013 debut.

Sister Ginger, in a total form reversal, edged away from heavily favored Rose to Gold in deep stretch to win the $75,000 Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday afternoon in front of an on-track crowd of 14,926 at Oaklawn Park.

Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., Sister Ginger finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Rose to Gold, hammered down to even money.

It was another 3 1/4 lengths back in third to Broken Spell, who was followed, in order, by American Sugar, Liberty Girl, I Am Miss Brown, Cloudy in Sandiego and Lady Stonewall.

Phonybooksnrecords was scratched after finishing last in a maiden-allowance race Friday at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

A 19-1 shot, Sister Ginger paid $41.20, $12.40 and $7.20. Rose to Gold paid $3.20 and $2.80. Broken Spell paid $5.80.

Sister Ginger scored her first career stakes victory on the heels of a 23 1/4-length drubbing - as the favorite - in an entry-level allowance/optional claimer Jan. 11, when Oaklawn’s beach-like surface on opening day yielded glacial times.

The 1-2-3 finishers in that race - Liberty Girl, I Am Miss Brown and Broken Spell - were all well behind Sister Ginger in the Martha Washington.

“The track was deeper and looser when she ran last time,” said Darren Fleming, assistant to winning trainer Steve Asmussen. “I don’t think it was to her liking. She had been training really well since then and had been the favorite that day.”

Santana, riding Sister Ginger for the first time, sent the daughter of Student Council to the front and wasn’t pressured through an opening quarter of :23.87 and a half mile in :48.68.

Sister Ginger led Rose to Gold by 1 1/2 lengths after a half mile before the favorite turned up the pressure on the outside on the second turn.

Rose to Gold trailed by a head after 6 furlongs in 1:13.59 but stuck a head in front in the upper stretch. Sister Ginger then battled back along the rail and was drawing away in the short run to the wire.

“When I was beside the No. 9, I bumped with her a little bit and my filly got a little scared,” Santana said, referring to Rose to Gold. “But when I pushed her in the stretch, she went on and won the race.”

The winner covered a mile over a fast track in 1:39.51, well off the stakes record of 1:36.40 set by Rachel Alexandra in the first start of her 2009 Horse of the Year campaign.

Rose to Gold, who was beaten for the first time in four races on dirt, was making her first start since winning the $500,000 Grade III Delta Princess Stakes on Nov. 17 at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. Trainer Sal Santoro said he was using the Martha Washington as a prep for Oaklawn’s two biggest races for 3-year-old fillies - the $150,000 Grade III Honeybee Stakes on March 9 and the $400,000 Grade II Fantasy Stakes on April 10.

“She hadn’t run since November, and I think she might have needed the race,” Santaro said. “I’m not really disappointed, and I can’t see us really changing our plans. We’re going to continue to go for the Honeybee and hopefully the Fantasy. This race should do her a world of good. I’m proud of her.”

Sister Ginger won for the second time in six lifetime starts to increase her earnings to $87,761.

Sister Ginger races for her breeders, Ro Parra and Leland Ackerley, longtime clients of Asmussen.

Sports, Pages 23 on 02/10/2013

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