Santa Barbara Shows Her Class In Belmont Oaks

Santa Barbara (3f Camelot - Senta’s Dream, by Danehill) produced a late challenge to justify favouritism in Saturday’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks; the first leg of a Grade 1 double on the card for the Ballydoyle raiders.

Beaten a length and a quarter in the 1,000 Guineas on her three-year-old return, the daughter of Camelot got within a neck of the four-year-old Thunder Nights in last month’s Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes and for a moment, it looked like she may once again be denied at Belmont. Travelling well with nowhere to go two furlongs from home, she was angled out by Ryan Moore approaching the final furlong and ran on strongly to lead by half a length on the line.

An impressed Ryan Moore said after the race, “She got class. She's got ability. She won without me moving a muscle.”

Owned by Coolmore partners and Westerberg, Santa Barbara was bred by Whisperview Trading and is closely related to Breeders’ Cup Mile victor Order Of Australia (Australia) and multiple Group 1 winner Iridessa.

She becomes an eighth individual Group/Grade 1 winner by Camelot, whose daughter Athena captured the 2018 running of the Belmont Oaks for the same connections.