French-Bred Antifona Prevails By Two Lengths In $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes

FRENCH-BRED ANTIFONA PREVAILS BY TWO LENGTHS IN $100,000 SWEET LIFE STAKES; BERRIOS & SADLER TEAM FOR HILLSIDE TURF WIN IN 1:12.91

ORIGINAL THIRD PLACE FINISHER ALLURING DQ’D TO 10TH FOR INTERFERENCE LATE

ARCADIA, CA (Feb. 11, 2024)—Shortening up out of two one-mile turf events, John Sadler’s French-bred Antifona rallied big off the turn for home and cruised to a solid two-length score in Sunday’s $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes at Santa Anita.  Ridden by Hector Berrios, Antifona got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:12.91.

In a race in which none of the participants had ever competed down the hill, Antifona broke from post position 10 in a field of 11 sophomore fillies and was content to lag far back early, as she was next to last, about nine lengths off the lead leaving the half mile pole.

Approaching the dirt crossing at the top of the lane, Berrios angled off the rail and was seven-deep turning for home.  From there, she easily outran front-running Dial a Friend a sixteenth out in a very impressive effort.

An ungraded stakes winner going seven panels over soft turf in her final French start on Sept. 16, she was a close fourth in her U.S. debut, the Grade III Jimmy Durante Stakes Dec. 2 at Del Mar and was most recently a troubled fifth here in the ungraded Blue Norther Dec. 29.

Off at 10-1 today, she returned $22.00, $8.00 and $5.40.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC, Antifona is now 10-3-2-0 overall and with today’s winner’s take of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $120,867.

Ridden by Kazushi Kimura, Irish-bred Zona Verde was in behind a wall of horses a furlong out, but shifted to the outside and smoked home to be second in a huge effort.  Off at 7-1, she paid $8.20 and $6.00, while finishing 1 ½ lengths behind original third place finisher Alluring.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Alluring was full of run leaving the furlong pole, cut to the inside for racing room but in so doing, took the path of Elegant, who was forced to check sharply at the rail, nearly unseating Juan Hernandez, who blew both of his irons and was thus eased from there.

Following a steward’s inquiry, Alluring was disqualified to 10th, just behind Elegant. 

As a result, the original fourth place finisher, Visually, was placed third.  Off at 49-1, Visually, who was ridden by Kyle Frey, paid $15.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.60, 43.88 and 1:06.37.

Racing resumes with a five-day week on Thursday.  First post time for a nine-race card is at 12:30 p.m.