LONGSHOT LETTY CARTEL, STAKES WINNER ASTRONOMICAL FINISH IN A DEAD HEAT FOR FIRST IN FLORENTINE STAKES
EG High Desert Farm’s Letty Cartel, the biggest longshot in the field at 28-1 odds, and M.C. Stucks’ Astranomical, a graded stakes winner in 2021, could not be separated at the wire by the photo finish camera, resulting in dead heat for first in the $25,000 Florentine Stakes for fillies and mares on Saturday at Los Alamitos.
For Astranomical, the win was her second at Los Alamitos after winning the $50,000 Las Damas Handicap last year. The Dominyun mare was fast out of the gate from post three before continuing strongly down the straightaway, earning a share of the spoils. Ridden by Adrian Loza for trainer Juan Aleman, the win was her first in five starts this year. Astranomical was also picking up her sixth win in 16 career starts. Bred by Bobby Cox, she earned $9,687 for this win to take her career earnings to $127,800.
“She ran a big race,” Aleman said. “I have to thank Mr. Stucks for bringing her here to run in the mare races. This was a decisive race. We were going to make a decision whether he would take her home to be a broodmare or keep her here and keep running the rest of the year. She just proved she wants to stay.”
In addition to her two stakes wins, the 5-year-old mare finished second in an allowance against a strong group of fillies and mares on July 24. She ran fourth in the Virginia Hyland Stakes on March 13.
Ridden by Irving Lara, Letty Cartel was one of only two sophomore fillies in this race. She was third at the start before flying in the final 50 yards to catch Astranomical in the final jumps. A half-sister to the Restricted Grade 1 winner Bail Czech, the Fast Prize Cartel filly was picking up her first career win in nine starts. Her winning effort also gave trainer Santos Perez his first Quarter Horse stakes win at Los Alamitos. Perez, who has trained here since 2007, began training for EG High Desert Farms in May. Since then, he’s saddled La Estrella Corona and La Beverly Hills to stakes placed finishes.
“I want to thank Mr. Enrique Gonzalez for giving the opportunity to train for him,” Perez said. “I thought this field had a lot of great horses. We took a chance with this filly, and we are fortunate to get the dead heat. Irving Lara fits her perfectly. He’s a great jockey.”
Letty Cartel also earned $9,687 for the win to take her career earnings to $23,204. Letty Cartel and Astranomical covered the distance in :17.70.
Ed Allred’s Need A Favor finished third and was followed across the wire by Looks On Fleek, Leah Carroll, Ventura Jess Jqm, College Scandal and Suite Expectations.
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