HOT SPRINGS -- Trainer Mac Robertson leaned against the rail near the Oaklawn Park racing surface in front of the racetrack's southernmost grandstands, just past the finish line, as the field of seven approached the starting gate for the Grade I $700,000 Apple Blossom Handicap for fillies and mares 4 years old and up Friday.
At that moment, the favorite Unique Bella's odds appeared on the infield tote board at 1-9, though when the race started she was at 1-5.
"You never know," Robertson said. "Those odds mean there's a 10-to-1 chance something could happen."
Something did.
As the gates opened, Unique Bella stumbled and fought to regain her balance, her momentum and body weight held up on her forelegs as the rest of the field raced away.
It was an edge taken full advantage of by Unbridled Mo, the eventual winner.
Unique Bella, under jockey Mike Smith, responded to her early trouble with a quick move into second behind the early lead of Farrell as the field moved out of the first turn onto the backstretch on a track rated good after a heavy afternoon rainfall. At three-quarters of a mile, Unique Bella led by a length over Farrell, who would fade to last. But Unbridled Mo was on the move under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., 5½ lengths back in fourth.
With an eighth of a mile to go, Unbridled Mo passed Unique Bella and pulled away to win by 2¼ lengths in 1:43.94.
"When I turned for home, I asked her, and her class won out," Santana said.
Unique Bella finished second, 2½ lengths in front of third-place Fuhriously Kissed. Streamline finished fourth, a borderline delight for her trainer Brian Williamson.
Unbridled Mo owner Stephen Brunetti said this was his first trip to Oaklawn.
"I'm sure we'll be back again," he said. "You never knew what would happen with Unique Bella. She was shipping, and it was a sloppy track. It just all worked out for the best for us."
Unique Bella -- with Smith on board and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, both members of the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame -- entered the Apple Blossom with a class advantage apparent with a mere glance at the race's past performances.
The last race for the 4-year-old daughter of Tapit was a 9-length victory in the Grade II Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Feb. 10. The Apple Blossom was Unique Bella's eighth consecutive graded stakes race, six of which she won.
A chance for seven was stymied early.
"She squatted in the gate," Smith said. "I was trying to stand her up. The next thing I knew, they opened the gates, and she squatted back.
"She totally missed the break. I wish I could've stayed last. If I could have, I would have. She was very strong and very fresh. After she got left, she just wanted to catch up. I could have thrown her down, but I never had to do that, and I wasn't about to start. It was just unfortunate."
Streamline, under Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, ran abreast of Unbridled Mo in the stretch, and each seemed equally geared to pass Unique Bella.
It was exactly what Williamson hoped for, particularly after Streamline's surprisingly poor performance in the Grade II Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn on March 17, when she finished eighth. Before that race, Streamline had finished third or better in 18 consecutive races and never further back than fourth.
"She was vindicated in a way," Williamson said. "She ran a good race. She got outrun, but she gave us a thrill. We're just going to regroup and see what happens after this. It wasn't a bad race."
"She didn't show up last time, but she showed up today," Stevens said. "If I had just been riding her for placing, I probably would've finished third, but I went after Farrell at 5/16ths, and the winner was right behind me. Maybe I didn't move early, but I thought I had a chance to win it coming into the stretch."
Sports on 04/14/2018