Former French runner Shantisara won a gritty battle with stablemate Higher Truth to take the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. at Belmont Saturday. Higher Truth seized the early advantage with Shantisara glued to her outside hip in second through a :25.51 opening quarter and :51.70 half-mile. They continued in this manner with a pair of rivals hot on their heels through five-eighths in 1:18.12. Moving up to look her barnmate in the eye turning for home, Shantisara battled Higher Truth to the wire, forging clear in the final strides to score.
“Shantisara is an improving horse,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I just have to say that I'm so appreciative to the ownership group. The three groups that own her have been super patient and let me develop her at our pace and her pace. She's really shown some promise. We were even tempted to take a shot up at Saratoga. We talked about it and figured we would just go to Arlington. She needs a bit more seasoning over here and that's when we were able to hook her up with Flavien [Prat] and it just took the filly up another notch. I'm really proud of her development. She and Higher Truth both look like really promising horses going into next year.”
Shantisara started her career in France with trainer Frederic Rossi, winning two of her five starts there. Privately purchased by these connections and sent to Brown, she finished second in the Boiling Springs S. at Monmouth June 26 and captured Arlington's GIII Pucker Up S. next out Aug. 14.
Pedigree Notes:
Shantisara is one of four black-type winners for her sire Coulsty. She is the only runner produced by Kharana, who has only had three live foals and has not been bred since she had the winner. Her second dam is SW & GSP Khanata (Riverman).
Saturday, Belmont Park
JOCKEY CLUB OAKS INVITATIONAL S., $671,000, Belmont, 9-18, 3yo, f, 1 3/8mT, 2:16.91, fm.
1–SHANTISARA (IRE), 121, f, 3, by Coulsty (Ire)
1st Dam: Kharana (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire)
2nd Dam: Khantala (Ire), by Zafonic
3rd Dam: Khanata, by Riverman
(10,000gns 2yo '20 TATGBR). O-Michael Dubb, Madaket
Stables LLC & Robert V. LaPenta; B-Mr Oliver Donlon (IRE);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $375,000. Lifetime Record:
GSW, 8-4-2-0, $488,108.
2--Higher Truth (Ire), 121, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Wannabe Better
(Ire), by Duke of Marmalade (Ire). (500,000gns Ylg '19
TATOCT). O-Michael J. Ryan, Jeff Drown, & Team Hanley;
B-Churchtown House Stud (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown.
$130,000.
3–Harajuku (Ire), 121, f, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Phaenomena
(Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Flaxman Holdings, Ltd.; B-Flaxman
Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. $70,000.
Margins: HF, 2, 1 1/4. Odds: 4.70, 2.20, 2.75.
Also Ran: Creative Flair (Ire), Madone, Baby Blythe. Scratched: Be Up.
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