INGLEWOOD, Calif. (July 7, 2007) - The ladies took center stage Saturday at Hollywood Park as Edgar Prado guided Panty Raid to victory over local hope Valbenny and Australian invader Anamato in the sixth running of the $750,000 American Oaks, while undefeated Nashoba's Key posted her fifth straight win under apprentice jockey Joe Talamo in the 66th Vanity Invitational Handicap.
Between those two fine performances, longshot Bilo won the 56th running of the Triple Bend Handicap as 17-year-old Talamo notched the first two Grade I victories of his promising career. Both came on Cal-breds.
Talamo, the country's leading apprentice jockey with 164 victories, began his big day by sitting patiently aboard Nashoba's Key in the $300,000, Grade I Vanity. As often happens in a short field, the 4-year-old filly was boxed in on the rail most of the way.
Nashoba's Key, a 4-year-old owned by breeder Warren "Spud" Williamson and trained by Carla Gaines, found room along the rail when pacesetter Ballado's Thunder drifted out at the top of the stretch. She went on to win by three-quarters of a length over Balance, covering 1 1/8 miles on Cushion Track in 1:48.83.
"She's just unbelievable," said Talamo, who rode three winners on the program. "Corey Nakatani stayed about a length off the rail the whole way and she saw that hole and just wanted to go. She was keen and content the whole race, just waiting to go. When that hole opened at the top of the stretch, she just exploded. She's such a tremendous filly and has so much heart. You could see in the Milady she was five lengths behind and today she was close up. She's so versatile, that's what makes her special. Miss Carla (Gaines) did a tremendous job with her."
The victory - worth $180,000 - raised Nashoba's Key's earnings to $443,105. The California-bred daughter of Silver Hawk broke her maiden Jan. 13, won an allowance race in February and now has three consecutive stakes wins to her credit, including a pair of graded races. She paid $4.20 to win.
"Joseph did a tremendous job today," said Gaines, who has four wins at the meet - all in stakes. "He was trapped on the rail and lost a little ground, but I told him earlier to reserve that kick home and he did. She is a very versatile horse with an aggressive attitude."
Seven-year-old Bilo was sent to the lead by Talamo in the Grade I, $300,000 Triple Bend and hung on to win by a head over favorite Surf Cat, covering seven furlongs in 1:21.65. Backers received a $21.60 win payoff. The win was his sixth in 14 starts. The winners's share of $180,000 raised his earnings to $434,036.
"I talked to the owner this morning and he told me, 'no matter how fast you go, try and get him to the rail,.'" Talamo said. "He said every single time he won he was on the rail, so that's exactly what I tried to do. In the stretch, my horse was switching back to his left lead and I was kind of worried. That's why I was hitting him left-handed. But man, he's got such a big heart for such an old guy. He kept digging in and digging in and never quit."
Panty Raid gave Todd Pletcher - the nation's leading trainer - his second straight victory in the American Oaks, covering 1 ¼ miles in 2:01.53 on the Lakeside Turf Course. Pletcher sent Wait a While west from his New York base a year ago to capture the Grade I event. She went on to win an Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding 3-year-old filly.
"The race came up tough and it was kind of a repeat of last year's race with Wait a While," said Ginny DePasquale, assistant to Pletcher. "She was third choice and this filly has never run on the turf before, but she had two great works over the surface. She likes the distance and she really liked the turf when we worked her at Belmont.
"Todd spoke with Edgar before he left so I left it up to the jockey today," she added. "He rode her at Pimlico when she won the Black-Eyed Susan, so he's got there with her before and he knows the horse."
Panty Raid, fourth on the backstretch, gained the lead at the top of the stretch and did not give an inch when challenged, rewarding backers with a $13 win payoff.
"It was a beautiful trip," Prado said. "We were in the perfect position and when I asked, she really responded. In her other races she moved like she would love the turf and she showed today that she can handle it very well."
The victory was the fourth in six starts for Panty Raid, who boosted her earnings to $692,275 with the winning check of $450,000.
Valbenny made her patented late run, but came up a little short for the first time in four starts at Hollywood Park.
"The only bad thing is that the two-horse's (Supposition) saddle slipped and she was going in and out," jockey Alex Solis said. "It kind of made it tough on my filly. I didn't know where to go on the turn. But we got through in the stretch so I really don't want to make any excuses."
Anamato, the Australasian Oaks winner attempting to become the first Australian-bred and trained horse to win a major North American race since Phar Lap in 1932, seemed poised to strike entering the far turn, but did not have the necessary closing kick.
"She's a class filly and showed it today," jockey Michael Rodd said. "She traveled a long way to come here. We're tickled pink the way she ran. I think I could have finished a little bit closer, but there was a horse that was a little bit in trouble and I had to go around her."
Communique, shipped from Kentucky for the Oaks, finished fourth, following by Japanese Oaks champion Robe Decollete, French hope Just Little, Supposition from the stable of renowned Irish trainer Dermott Weld, eastern filly Baroness Thatcher and the Pletcher-trained Audacious Chloe.
