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Forest Melody wins $73,000 allowance race

Forest Melody, a four-year-old filly stabled at the San Luis Rey Downs Thoroughbred Training Center, won a $73,000 allowance race March 1, 2008 at Santa Anita Park.

Forest Melody’s second career win was worth $43,800 of the total purse for the 1 1/8-mile turf face for fillies and mares four years old and up. “She won a really nice allowance race,” said trainer and part-owner Paula Capestro.

Forest Melody finished half a length ahead of second-place Lemonette in what turned out to be a battle between two members of the Baze family. Tyler Baze was Forest Melody’s jockey while Michael Baze rode Lemonette. Lemonette finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Le Cirque, who was ridden by Joseph Talamo.

Capestro minimized her pre-race instructions to Tyler Baze. “He’s pretty familiar with the horse, so I didn’t really have to give him instructions. He pretty well knows what to do: go out there and win,” Capestro said.

Forest Melody broke fifth among the 12 horses in the race, but after a quarter of a mile she was in front, one length ahead of second-place Bright Moon. Forest Melody took 24.95 seconds to cover that distance.

Forest Melody reached the half-mile point 49.75 seconds into the race and had a two-length lead over Bright Moon, who was still in second place. Forest Melody reached the 3/4-mile marker at 1:14.54 a length ahead of Bright Moon, who remained in second.

Tiz a Blend overtook Bright Moon in second place by the time the horses entered the stretch. Forest Melody led Tiz a Blend by 2 1/2 lengths at the beginning of the stretch, reaching that post in 1:38.40.

Forest Melody won with a time of 1:50.35. “After the quarter pole he (Baze) set her and she accelerated and they couldn’t catch her, so she stole the race,” Capestro said.

The win came in Forest Melody’s twelfth career start. In addition to her two wins she has finished second four times and third twice. Her three 2008 starts include second-place and third-place results as well as her win.

“It was impressive,” Capestro said of her win. “She’s improving all the time.”

Capestro plans to enter Forest Melody in a stakes race when an appropriate one is listed in the condition book. Forest Melody, whose sire is Forest Camp and whose dam is As We Sing, was foaled on February 3, 2004 in Kentucky.

 

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