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Tanta Suerte wins Las Madrinas Handicap

Tanta Suerte, a four-year-old filly stabled at the San Luis Rey Downs Thoroughbred Training Center, won the Las Madrinas Handicap stakes race September 22 at Fairplex Park.

The win was the sixth career victory in eleven races for Tanta Suerte but the first United States win for the Chilean horse.

“Was a pretty vindicating race,” said trainer Laura de Seroux.

Tanta Suerte was foaled in August 2002 and won her first five races, all of which took place at Club Hippico in Chile between March 2005 and August 2005. She finished third at Club Hippico in September 2005 before making her American debut, along with her debut for de Seroux, in the Grade 3 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park in April 2006. Tanta Suerte finished fifth in the Wilshire Handicap, fifth in the ungraded Wishing Well stakes May 26 at Hollywood Park, and sixth in the ungraded Osunitas Handicap at Del Mar August 9.

Her race prior to the Las Madrinas Handicap was the Adoration Handicap August 31 at Del Mar. She finished third, and de Seroux believed that she was poorly ridden in that race.

de Seroux gave jockey David Flores his first mount on Tanta Suerte for the Las Madrinas Handicap. “David let her relax and ran down the pace horse at the finish, which is what I intended her to do her first time out on the dirt,” de Seroux said.

Tanta Suerte had run her first nine races on turf before competing in the one-mile Adoration Handicap on the dirt. The Las Madrinas Handicap was a 1 1/16-mile dirt race for fillies and mares three years old and upward.

de Seroux’s instructions to Flores were to let the speed go and take a relaxed pace before coming forward at the end. “Which is exactly what he did,” de Seroux said.

Tanta Suerte broke third among the six horses, a position which didn’t concern de Seroux. “Everything went as planned,” de Seroux said.

At one-quarter of a mile Tanta Suerte was in third, 5 1/2 lengths behind leader Allswellthatnswell but two lengths in front of fourth-place Senorita Season. At half a mile Tanta Suerte was still in third, six lengths in back of Allswellthatnswell and four lengths ahead of Senorita Season. The horses continued to hold those places at the 3/4-mile marker; Allswellthatnswell was 8 1/2 lengths ahead of Tanta Suerte, who was 2 1/2 lengths in front of Senorita Season.

Allswellthatnswell still led entering the stretch but only had a four-length lead over Tanta Suerte, who had moved into second and was four lengths ahead of third-place I Can See. Tanta Suerte took the lead in the stretch and finished with a 2 1/2-length win over Allswellthatnswell and a winning time of 1:44.96.

de Seroux hasn’t yet decided on a specific next race for Tanta Suerte, but the foal of Stuka and Trapial is expected to continue racing on dirt surfaces.

 

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