Sweet Azteca sets Los Al track record in winning Great Lady M

Making her first start since winning the Beholder Mile (G1) nearly four months ago, heavily favored Sweet Azteca dominated her nine rivals in a record-setting performance in the Grade 2, $202,500 Great Lady M Stakes on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

The 7-10 favorite in her local debut, the 4-year-old daughter of Sharp Azteca won by five lengths with a time of 1:14.33 for the 6 1/2 furlongs over fast going. That eclipsed the previous track record for the distance of 1:14.49 set by Finest City when she won the 2016 Great Lady M.

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Owner-breeder Pamela Ziebarth and trainer Michael McCarthy and jockey Juan Hernández hope the record is a sign of things to come for Sweet Azteca. After her win in the Great Lady M, Finest City went on to capture the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint six months later at Santa Anita.

The win Saturday was the fourth in five starts for Sweet Azteca, and the $120,000 payday increased her bankroll to $421,200. She returned $3.40, $3 and $2.60.

Sweet Azteca was outrun early by 7-1 second choice Daddysruby, who won the La Brea (G1) on Dec. 26. But the gray who is out of the Grand Slam mare So Sweetittiz was content to track early. She ranged up outside the eventual runner-up with about three-eighths of a mile to run and then drew away while being geared down approaching the wire.

“The race didn’t really play out like I thought it would,” McCarthy said. “I thought she’s pretty quick in her own right, so I figured she would go ahead and establish herself, but it was nice to see her be able to sit off (Daddysruby).

“It was her first time here (at Los Alamitos), first time shipping and the configuration of the track is a little different than what she is used to, and she was kind of playing a little bit at the top of the stretch, but she leveled off and got the job done.

“She has certainly progressed all year long. Obviously the Beholder Mile was a breakout performance for her.

“We had our sights set on taking her to Kentucky for the Derby City Distaff (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard, but she busted open her knee in her stall getting excited for feed time one day, so we had to go to plan B, and this race fit on the calendar for us.

“It’s always nice to win at Los Alamitos. I enjoy being here.”

In his first collaboration with Sweet Azteca, Hernández added to his record of Los Alamitos daytime Thoroughbred stakes wins, raising that total to 18.

“She is a very nice filly,” he said. “(Daddysruby) outbroke us, and I just let her go. I was very happy with our position, and she was always traveling well. She switched leads in the stretch and just took off.”

Making her first start since finishing second in the Matron Stakes on March 30 at Oaklawn, Daddysruby wound up seven lengths in front of third-place finisher Super Shine, who was off poorly from the inside post.

Daddysruby paid $5.20 and $4.00, and the show price for Super Shine was $5.60.

Olivia Twist, Getthemoney, Irish Wahine, Chismosa, Anywho, Yuki and Three Witches, who also is trained by McCarthy, completed the finish in that order.