Ema Bovary, an exciting 5-year-old mare from Chile, recorded her seventh straight victory Saturday at Golden Gate Fields when she won the $62,600 Orinda Handicap in courageous fashion. Trapped behind horses for most of the six-furlong race for fillies and mares, Ema Bovary, carrying top weight of 123 pounds, powered through a hole in midstretch and won the Orinda by two lengths over Christmas Time in a quick 1:08 2/5. Ema Bovary, ridden by Roberto Gonzalez, posted the impressive clocking while never being asked for her best.
"When those two horses (Christmas Time and Pheiffer) split in the stretch, I tapped her on the shoulder to get her through the hole and that was it," said Gonzalez. "She's a racehorse. She'll go through anything."Ema Bovary was a heavy 2-5 favorite in a field of seven and the other jockeys – like the handicappers – obviously knew she was the horse to beat. "They (the other jockeys) were all race riding and they had me pinned in pretty good, but we got out of there," said Gonzalez. "Down the backstretch it was pretty rough."Ema Bovary is trained by Larry Ross and owned by Richard T. Beal and Lana Ramsey-Brog. Saturday's victory was her 10th in 15 career starts and the $33,700 payday boosted her earnings to $233,562. "This worked out good," said Ross, who had seriously considered running Ema Bovary in Sunday's Santa Monica Handicap (gr. I) at Santa Anita. "She got to stay home and got a good race."Ross said Ema Bovary will now be pointed for the Grade III $125,000 Las Flores Handicap, a six-furlong stakes for fillies and mares that will be run Feb. 22 at Santa Anita.
(Chart, Equibase)
