A Little Bit Sassy tracked pacesetter Istanford into the homestretch and eventually pulled away to capture the $171,750 Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank on the Longines Kentucky Oaks program May 2 on the turf at Churchill Downs (VIDEO).
Ramona Bass' daughter of More Than Ready earned her first stakes victory while bettering eight other 3-year-old fillies in the 1 1/16-mile test. She prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths in a time of 1:42.79 over a firm Matt Winn Turf Course. Istanford, who fought the winner to the eighth pole before reluctantly yielding, finished second by a neck, with French import Little Journey, making her North American debut, rallying for third, a neck in front of V V Goodnight.
Luis Saez drove A Little Bit Sassy to victory for trainer Michael Matz.
Istanford, ridden by Javier Castellano, took the early lead and held a daylight advantage through fractions of :24.06, :48.44, and 1:13.14 with A Little Bit Sassy tracking in second. Saez sent A Little Bit Sassy after Istanford midway on the far turn and drew even at the head of the lane. The front-runners dueled through the lane before A Little Bit Sassy edged away in deep stretch.
"The last two times she tried to run on the front because she is very fast," Saez said. "But today, (Matz) told me to break and take her back and she did great. I got her to relax and when I got in the stretch she responded to me very well."
William D. Gould bred A Little Bit Sassy in Kentucky. The dark bay filly was the first foal out of the Lemon Drop Kid dual stakes winner Miss A. Bomb, a lifetime earner of $211,451. Steven W. Young, as agent, purchased A Little Bit Sassy for $220,000 from consigner Blackburn Farm at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
"She's just a lovely filly," said Bass. "We've been excited about her from the beginning. I fell in love with her at Keeneland (2012 September Sale). I had to have her. Thankfully, she's really run well. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with her."
A Little Bit Sassy was making her second start of the year in the Edgewood following a runner-up finish in a first-level allowance race over a mile on the Keeneland lawn April 6. The filly broke her maiden in her second start last September at Delaware Park and was then second in the Chelsea Flower Stakes on the Belmont Park turf to conclude her 2-year-old campaign Oct. 27. Her career mark stands at 2-2-0 in five races and earnings of $155,758.
A Little Bit Sassy returned $10.20, $4.80 and $3.20. Istanford paid $6.40 and $4.60, with Little Journey, partnered by Jose Lezcano, paying $4.20 to show. The exacta was worth $67.
V V Goodnight was followed in order by Granny Mc's Kitten, Courageous Julie, Miss Machiavelli, 2-1 favorite Candy Kitty, and Fonepferesh. Resistivity scratched.
