Full Ransom, given a patient ride by Victor Espinoza, rallied from fifth near mid-stretch to score a 12-1 upset in the $100,250 Miesque Stakes (gr. IIIT) for 2-year-old fillies on the Betfair Hollywood Park turf course Nov. 30 (VIDEO).
Deron Pearson's Florida-bred daughter of Full Mandate, making her stakes debut for trainer Jim Cassidy, got up by a head over Savings Account with a determined finish. She completed the one-mile trip in 1:37.51 over ground rated good. Sushi Empire finished third, 1 1/2 lengths farther back.
Bred by Gregg James out of the winning Red Ransom mare Retroesque, Full Ransom was a $25,000 Barretts 2-year-olds-in-training buy in May. She has two wins from three starts after breaking her maiden going a mile on the Santa Anita Park turf Oct. 17.
"That's the best $25,000 he ever spent," Cassidy joked afterward. "She was reasonably cheap, but she had all the parts in the right place and I really liked her."
Full Ransom raced at the rear of the six-horse field with 4-5 favorite Clenor to her inside as Love In The Desert vied on the front end with Nesso through soft fractions of :24.55, :49.22, and 1:13.80. Sushi Empire made a bid for the lead rounding the far turn and the three front-runners were separated by heads at the quarter pole.
Angled out for the drive by Espinoza, Full Ransom rallied nicely in the final furlong to nip 8-1 Savings Account, who had inched away in deep stretch for Aaron Gryder after getting the lead from 21-1 Sushi Empire and Mario Gutierrez. The three longest shots in the board occupied the first three slots, while the three favorites—Nesso, Clenor, and Love In The Desert—brought up the rear.
"I didn't really have any plan going into the race, just leave her alone and make her happy," Espinoza said. "It just depended how she broke out of the gate. I took my time, swung her to the outside and it worked out well today."
Gryder said he thought he had the race won on Savings Account coming into the homestretch.
"I cut the gap at the top of the stretch and took advantage of it," Gryder said of his trip. "I saw the winner coming, but I was hoping I could build enough momentum to hold her off. She ran great and she's only going to get better."
Full Ransom, who carried 116 pounds, paid $26.80, $10.80, and $8.20 while increasing her career earnings to $93,300. Savings Account returned $8.80 and $7.60. Sushi Empire paid $10.60 to show. The surprising trifecta returned $595 for a $1 wager.
Cassidy gave full credit to Espinoza, who rode Full Ransom for the first time in the Miesque.
"I liked the way we didn't rush her today," Cassidy said. "(Espinoza) took hold of her and she got a very good trip wide. The greatest thing about 2-year-olds is they're as honest as the day is long. They haven't figured out anything bad yet."
Full Ransom catches Savings Account to win the Miesque Stakes.
Benoit Photo