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Stay And Scam Scores 1st Stakes Win In Sunday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes On Hillside Turf Course
3/17/2024
STAY AND SCAM SCORES 1ST STAKES WIN IN SUNDAY’S $100,000 IRISH O’BRIEN STAKES ON HILLSIDE TURF COURSE
RACE FOR OLDER FILLIES AND MARES IS PART OF LUCRATIVE GOLDEN STATE SERIES FOR CALIFORNIA-BRED OR SIRED HORSES
ARCADIA, Calif. (March 17, 2024)—Stay and Scam became racing’s latest stakes winner with a half-length victory in Sunday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred or sired horses on the hillside turf course.
Sent off the 6-5 favorite, Stay and Scam and jockey Mario Gutierrez pressed pacesetter Chancery Way (7-2) in second throughout before overtaking that rival at the top of the stretch and prevailing to the wire. Chancery Way held off a fast-closing Chismosa (8-1) by a neck to finish second.
“She ran great,” Gutierrez said. “She broke out of there good and I was going to go to the lead but I wasn’t going to push her either. When the other horse (Chancery Way) took the lead, I settled behind her pretty nicely. was just waiting to make my move. When I asked her to go, she went.”
The winning time for about 6 ½ furlongs was 1:12.66. Stay and Scam returned $4.40, $2.60 and $2.20 for the win on St. Patrick’s Day. Chancery Way, ridden by Antonio Fresu for trainer Jamey Thomas, paid $4.00 and $2.80. Chismosa, with Kyle Frey up for trainer Rafael DeLeon, returned $4.00 to show.
Trained by Doug O’Neill, Stay and Scam is a 4-year-old Square Eddie filly for owner-breeder Reddam Racing. She has found her top form since switching to turf in the fall, particularly over Santa Anita’s unique hillside layout. Stay and Scam entered off a second-level allowance win sprinting down the hill Feb. 10. That followed a near-miss in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint, also on the hillside turf course, in January.
In the Sunshine Millions effort, Stay and Scam finished third by a head behind winner Rose Maddox and the aforementioned Chancery Way in second. Rose Maddox also returned in the Irish O’Brien and disappointed with a last-place finish as the 5-2 second choice.
O’Neill from the Winner’s Circle said Stay and Scam could try to stretch out to a mile in her next start. It would be her first time racing around two turns.
“If she is right and doing well, I wouldn’t be surprised if we tried her at a mile,” O’Neill said.
Stay and Scam is out of the Momentum mare Puff Pastry. She is now 5-2-1 in 10 starts with $290,976 in earnings.
Fractions for the race were 22.48, 44.56 and 1:06.01.
Live racing resumes Friday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 1 p.m. PT.