Dream Tree coasts in Las Virgenes S. (G2)
Phoenix Thoroughbreds III’s 3-year-old filly Dream Tree looked super in her nearly four-length victory in Sunday’s $200,000 Las Virgenes S. (G2), the feature race on a Super Bowl card at Santa Anita Park.
Making her first start of the year, the winner of last year’s Starlet S. (G1) was a little anxious pre-race, but settled nicely a few lengths off the pace of her stablemate Thirteen Squared. After a half-mile in a solid :46.68, Dream Tree began to close in on the leader, easily going by at the top of the stretch before coming home in hand to stop the timer in 1:39.45 for the mile on the fast main track.
“I thought she was fresh and she was getting a little excited on her way to the gate. I just love the way she sat off those front-runners. I know she has a lot of speed. I think she’s getting better mentally and she’s relaxing and she really brought it at the end.
“She’s all class so I’m just so glad that Kerri (Radcliffe) and Amir (Abdulaziz) hired me to be their trainer. I’m very fortunate.”
Dream Tree is undefeated in four starts and has earned $390,000 and has her owners looking at bigger races this spring.
“We’ve been talking to Bob and we’re thinking about the Oaks, both Santa Anita and Kentucky, so we’re going there definitely for sure. Having a good filly like this, makes you feel good,” said Abdulaziz.
Baffert has a record-tying five winners of the Las Virgenes, going back to his first in 1999 with Excellent Meeting, who also won the Starlet and would go on to run fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1).