On the heels of an awe-inspiring debut victory Kinza justified her even-money favoritismin the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park by registering a decisive win over more experienced rivals.
#3 KINZA ($4.00) goes wire to wire as the favorite in the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) at @santaanitapark. The three-year-old Carpe Diem filly is 2 for 2 for trainer Bob Baffert. @JJHernandezS19 was in the irons. 💪 pic.twitter.com/QhBB9tLVGm
— TVG (@TVG) February 10, 2024
Kinza’s glittering maiden score Dec. 29 left such an impression that she was bet down over her stablemate, Starlet Stakes (G2) captress Nothing Like You as well as the highly regarded Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) winner Kopion , in Saturday’s contest for 3-year-old fillies.
The New York-bred daughter of Carpe Diem proved she was more than just a gifted sprinter with her win in the two-turn Las Virgenes. Grabbing the lead from the get-go, Kinza commanded the field through testing fractions of :22.99, :46.91, and 1:10.82 before turning back a stiff challenge from Kopion mid-stretch. Digging deep in the final furlong, Kinza pulled away to win by two lengths under the wire.
Guided by jockey Juan Hernandez, the pair clocked the mile in a final time of 1:37.03 on a fast main track. Kinza paid $4 for a $2 win ticket.
“This filly has a lot of talent,” Hernandez said of the Bob Baffert trainee. “She broke on top. Last time she showed a lot of speed. Today, it was a faster pace but she handled it pretty good … My feeling was that she was really comfortable in front. I never asked her to go that fast she was doing it all on her own. I think that was the key to win the race, that she was comfortable the whole race.”
Kinza proves ready for the one-mile Las Virgenes Stakes
Kopion, who had chased Kinza in second throughout, was the runner-up by 1 1/2 lengths over She’s a Tempest in third.
Nothing Like You never quite found her rhythm under jockey Frankie Dettori and was a well-beaten fourth. Baffert’s assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes felt the Malibu Moon filly struggled with the inside post and being forced to take back early.
Although the Las Virgenes is a prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Kinza was unable to obtain the 20 qualifying points offered for the race because any horse trained by Baffert is barred from competing at Churchill Downs. Kopion, trained by Richard Mandella, picked up 10 points to rank seventh with 20 total points among the current Oaks standings.
Baffert’s longtime bloodstock agent Donato Lanni signed the ticket on Kinza for $350,000 on behalf of owner Michael Lund Petersen after the filly breezed :10 1/5 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Kinza is the first winner produced from her dam, the Quality Road mare Secret Wonder.
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