Take A Breath Makes It Back-To-Back Graded Wins With Narrow Victory In Saturday’s Grade III Royal Heroine Stakes For Fillies And Mares Going One Mile On Turf At Santa Anita

TAKE A BREATH MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK GRADED WINS WITH NARROW VICTORY IN SATURDAY’S GRADE III ROYAL HEROINE STAKES FOR FILLIES AND MARES GOING ONE MILE ON TURF AT SANTA ANITA

ARCADIA, CA (April 25, 2026)—Take A Breath and jockey Emisael Jaramillo made it back-to-back graded stakes wins Saturday when narrowly prevailing in the Grade III, $100,000 Royal Heroine Stakes for fillies and mares going one mile on turf Saturday at Santa Anita.

Trained by Mark Glatt, Take A Breath previously won the Grade III Santa Ana Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on March 15 at Santa Anita. In two previous starts U.S. starts at one mile, the European import had never hit the board. Jaramillo was cognizant of the distance question for Take A Breath and adjusted accordingly by laying closer to the pace than usual.

“I thought the mile might be a little short for her. That’s why I had to put her in the race early,” Jaramillo said.

After longshot Rosie Jeeks went to the lead and set a quarter-mile fraction of 23.72 seconds, favorite Grand Slam Smile (8-5) took command down the backstretch while Take A Breath and Jaramillo settled comfortably only a few lengths back.

Grand Slam Smile went a half mile in 48.30 seconds and six furlongs in 1:12.54. At that point, Jaramillo took aim at the leader.

“I thought if I left (Grand Slam Smile) on the lead turning into the stretch that she would be the winner,” Jaramillo.

Instead, Take A Breath and Jaramillo collared Grand Slam Smile at the head of the stretch and then held off a late charge from May Day Ready (7-2) to score in a time of 1:35.95. Grand Slam Smile and jockey William Antongeorgi III finished a half-length back of May Day Ready in third. Glatt, also trains Kentucky Derby entrant So Happy and was at Churchill Downs Saturday for the Kentucky Derby draw post-position draw. He was unavailable for comment. Take A Breath, a 4-year-old mare by Bated Breath bred in England, is owned by Chivalry Thoroughbred Racing and Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners.

“She’s just really improving every month with Mark,” Tim Cohen of Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners said. “We kind of wanted to wait a little bit but Mark said she was training so well let’s run and here we are. I wasn’t concerned about a mile at all. I actually think she is better at a mile than a mile and a quarter. Right now, she is just running so well we will just keep her going.”

Cohen added Take A Breath would now move on to the GI Gamely on May 25 at Santa Anita, which is contested at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Take A Breath was sent to Southern California from England last summer. She lost her first five starts in the U.S. before winning the Santa Ana. Her latest victory ups her overall record to 14: 5-0-2 with nearly $190,000 in earnings.

Take A Breath paid $11.20, $5.60 and $3.20. May Day Ready, ridden by Antonio Fresu for trainer Richard Mandella, returned $5.40 and $3.00. Grand Slam Smile, trained by Sean McCarthy, paid $2.10.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 1 p.m. PT.

GRADE III, ROYAL HEROINE STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

EMISAEL JARAMILLO, TAKE A BREATH, WINNER: I thought the mile might be a little short for her. That’s why I had to put her in the race. I went after No. 9 (Grand Slam Smile) because. I thought if I left her on the lead turning into the stretch that she would be the winner. That was the winning move.”

OWNER QUOTES TIM COHEN, RANCHO TEMESCAL, PART OWNER, TAKE A BREATH, WINNER: “She’s just really improving every month with Mark. We kind of wanted to wait a little bit but Mark said she was training so well let’s run and here we are. I wasn’t concerned about a mile at all. I actually think she is better at a mile than at a mile and a quarter but right now she is just running so well, we will just keep her going. I think the Gamely is the next logical spot.”

__NOTES: __The winning trainer is Mark Glatt. The winning owners are Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners and Chivalry Thoroughbred Racing.