Lashara Starts Belmont Meet On Winning Note

American Pharoah’s Lashara (3f American Pharoah x Marbre Rose, by Smart Strike) visited the winner’s circle during the opening day of Belmont’s Fall meet on Friday when scoring an Allowance victory.

Racing over 1 1/16 miles on turf for trainer Mark Casse, Lashara raced wide throughout while positioned alongside the leader. Jockey John Velazquez kept a tight hold on the filly before asking her to enter a duel in mid-turn.

As they entered the stretch, Lashara had a slight advantage over Fetching but found another gear as they neared the wire. She started pulling away from that filly and the group running at them in the final sixteenth to win by half a length for owners Robert Masterson and Cindy Hutson.

Lashara has been a consistent performer for her sire with four top two finishes in six starts. The €850,000 Arqana Deauville August Yearling purchase is the first foal out of Grade III winner Marbre Rose, who herself is a half-sister to two stakes winners.

A half-sister to Listed winning Aviatress and Listed winner and Grade II-placed Gidu, Marbre Rose’s own dam is a half-sister to Grade I winner and producer Zotfig, who is the dam of Grade I winners Zo Impressive and Zaftig, and a three-quarter sister to Verve – the dam of Grade III winner Verve’s Tale and Grade I-placed Tale of Verve.

It has been another big year for the Champion Freshman Sire with American Pharoah leading all Northern Hemisphere second crop sires in multiple categories. In the past month alone, American Pharoah has made headlines on the track and in the sales ring with stakes performers in three different countries and two $1 million yearlings.