Santa Monica (Mastercraftsman) winning the G2 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine

More US Success for Mastercraftsman

Mastercraftsman enjoyed more success in North America on Saturday when Santa Monica (6m Mastercraftsman x Zacchera, by Zamindar) landed her fourth stateside victory in the $194,000 Grade II Sheepshead Bay Stakes at Belmont.

Trained by Chad Brown, Santa Monica was a short priced favourite and cruised home to win the 1 and 3/8th mile turf contest by more than a length.

“I think everyone agreed before the race she was the best horse in the race,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “It was [interesting] time-wise; they ran away from there pretty quickly. [A half-mile in] :48.3 for that distance is quick, but they slowed it way down. I looked up and there were only four horses in front of us, so I made a really early move with her and class prevailed.”

A winner of the Group III Cork Munster Oaks in Ireland in 2017, Santa Monica was sold for 375,000 guineas at the 2017 Tattersalls December Sale and then sent to North America. She has the overall record of six wins and seven placings from 31 starts and over $540,000 in prizemoney.

Santa Monica is the best of three winners from Zacchera, a half-sister to Group I winner Sakhee’s Secret.