HOT SPRINGS -- On paper at least, the $125,000 1-mile Martha Washington Stakes looked like the most contentious stakes race to this point in the Oaklawn Park season.
As it turned out, Chanel's Legacy made simple, straightforward work of the other seven well-regarded entrants, each packed with top-flight experience.
Chanel's Legacy won by 2½ lengths over My Sweet Stella in 1:38.51. Torrent was third, 3¾ lengths behind Sweet Stella and a nose in front of fourth-place Lovely Bernadette
Perfect Wife, the 8-5 favorite, who apparently suffered a cut in her mouth when she broke through the gate before the start, was reloaded and went straight to the lead under Corey Lanerie before fading to last.
Chanel's Legacy was never farther back than second nor more than a length behind Perfect Wife's right flank through a quarter-mile in 23.51 seconds and a half in 46.90 in front of estimated on-track crowd of 15,000 and a worldwide simulcast audience.
Lynn Chleborad, trainer of Chanel's Legacy, watched the race unfold on a flat screen television near the paddock, and provided constant commentary, as she is known to do.
"She needs to go out in 24," Chleborad said when the 22.51 posted on the board. "No, that's too fast."
Chleborad explained her concern after the race.
"When she went out in 23 and change, I thought, 'Holy cow.' I was worried, but then when we got to the quarter pole, I thought, 'Well, she's still strong.' But I still wanted the wire to get there."
Chanel's Legacy, off at 13-1 with jockey Alex Birzer up, took the lead around the final turn after 6 furlongs in 1:11.61.
My Sweet Stella, trained by Racing Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, was in fourth and looked geared for a strong finish but was momentarily trapped between Torrent and Lovely Bernadette and consequently steadied by jockey Carlos Marquez, Jr.
Lanerie eased up on Perfect Wife shortly after Chanel's Legacy moved to the front.
"Maybe in hindsight, we probably should've scratched her," Perfect Wife trainer Kenny McPeek said. "She's got a pretty good cut in her mouth, but she'll be fine. We'll regroup."
Chenal's Legacy appeared in control as the field turned into the stretch, with the 1-mile finish line in sight.
She was 1½ lengths ahead of My Sweet Stella, who had regained enough momentum to hold onto second but was losing ground to the eventual winner.
"The best horse did not win the race," said Marquez Jr., rider of My Sweet Stella. "I was on the best horse. If I don't get stopped cold like that, I win."
"I think we ran pretty good considering," Lukas said. "We just about got wiped out in the turn. All of her momentum was stopped right there, but she came back and ran well. She finished great. She ran good enough to win today."
Chenal's Legacy victory looked imminent, so much so that a man standing beside Chleborad hugged her. Chleborad acknowledged and returned the embrace, but she kept her eyes on the television.
"The race still wasn't over," Chleborad said. "I was still like, 'Wait. Wait. Not until she crosses the wire.' "
"She ran huge," Birzer said. "She put me in a great spot. She just sat there as the leader weakened. She just picked it up an extra notch and just kept to her business."
Chanel's Legacy, who has won four races in seven career starts with $234,394 in earnings for Poindexter Thoroughbreds, paid $28.20, $11.60, $6. The gray daughter of Dominus went off as the sixth-longest shot in the field of 8 despite coming off a victory in the Dixie Belle.
Saturday's performance cemented her reputation, locally at least, after putting away My Sweet Stella, second in the Dixie Belle and graded-stakes participants Lovely Bernadette, Queen Bernardina, Ever So Clever, and Benner Island.
The other two entrants, Perfect Wife and Torrent, were each clear winners in their last starts, led by Perfect Wife, who won the 1-mile Trapeze by 5 lengths at Remington Park in Oklahoma City in December. She started the Martha Washington with the highest last-race Brisnet and Beyer speed figures.
"These fillies are like kids in high school," Chleborad said. "You know, the do great in high school, but then when they go onto college or graduate school, they're going against a lot of people who have done just as much as they have, but she did very well today against a very good group, and I'm so happy."
Sports on 02/12/2017