By J.N. Campbell
Looking every bit a 'TDN Rising Star', Kinza (Carpe Diem) stepped up in class, posted a second-consecutive 96 Beyer and took home her first graded win with a professional gate-to-wire performance at 'The Great Race Place' on Saturday afternoon.
To kick start her career over the same surface Dec. 29, the chestnut became a meteoric star when she won by an eye-catching 7 1/2 lengths for trainer Bob Baffert. Putting in quality workouts since, the filly was well-supported at the windows as the 1-1 choice over rival Kopion (Omaha Beach). The Richard Mandella trainee at odds of 6-5 here, arrived with a pair of wins under her belt, one of which was a 5 1/4-length score last out in the GIII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 7.
Kinza took the opening round of the Kentucky Oaks points race by wrangling the lead from the bell, which gave her the upper hand into the first turn. Holding the rail position up the backstretch, the 3-year-old remained committed to the pace as the far turn arrived. Though Kopion was called upon to pull even with her mark just before the top of the lane, she could not muster the speed to catch Kinza, who went on to win by two lengths.
“She acts like a filly that can handle (two turns),” said assistant to Bob Baffert, Jimmy Barnes. “You don't know until you do it, but she had shown in the morning, in her workouts that she could go further. I was more concerned there was so much speed, with the small field and a lot of speed. Unfortunately, our other filly (Nothing Like You {Malibu Moon}) she's got speed, but she was on the rail and she doesn't have that kind of speed, so she had to kind of take back and make some kind of trip and she probably doesn't want to do that.”
Pedigree Notes:
Kinza is the 13th stakes winner and third worldwide graded/group stakes winner for her Louisiana-based sire. The first to the races for her dam, the winner counts a 2-year-old filly by Instagrand as a half-sister. A $100,000 purchase by MTC at the 2014 Keeneland September Sale, Secret Wonder visited Honest Mischief for this season.
Saturday, Santa Anita Park
LAS VIRGENES S.-GIII, $100,000, Santa Anita, 2-10, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:37.03, ft.
1–KINZA, 120, f, 3, by Carpe Diem
1st Dam: Secret Wonder, by Quality Road
2nd Dam: Maxinkuckee Miss, by Langfuhr
3rd Dam: Wini Jones, by Seeking the Gold
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($17,000 Wlg '21 FTNMIX; $30,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $350,000 2yo '23 EASMAY). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-JD Business Ventures LLC, Brushy Hill Stable & Carpe Diem Syndicate (NY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $99,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Kopion, 120, f, 3, Omaha Beach–Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop. ($270,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Tall Oaks Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $20,000.
3–She's a Tempest, 120, f, 3, Connect–Hurricane Tiz, by Tiznow. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Beerman Family Trust and Sayjay Racing LLC; B-SAYJAY Racing, LLC & Beerman Family Trust (KY); T-Steve R. Knapp. $12,000.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 9 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 1.30, 16.40.
Also Ran: Nothing Like You, Great Forty Eight.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
#3 KINZA ($4.00) goes wire to wire as the favorite in the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) at @santaanitapark. The three-year-old Carpe Diem filly is 2 for 2 for trainer Bob Baffert. @JJHernandezS19 was in the irons. 💪 pic.twitter.com/QhBB9tLVGm
— TVG (@TVG) February 10, 2024
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
