Karakontie’s Spendarella Makes the Grade

[Wandering Eyes]

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HERECOMESTHEBRIDE S.-GIII, $125,000, Gulfstream, 3-5, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.38, fm.
1–SPENDARELLA, 118, f, 3, by Karakontie (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Spanish Bunny, by Unusual Heat
                2nd Dam: Spanish Beam, by El Gran Senor
                3rd Dam: Solar Beam, by Majestic Light
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($220,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck);
B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (NY); T-H. Graham Motion;
J-Jose L. Ortiz. $72,850. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $104,650.
*Full to Spanish Loveaffair, MSW & MGSP, $284,090; 1/2 to
Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule), GISW, $423,600.
2–Opalina, 122, f, 3, Optimizer–Go Kitten Go, by Kitten's Joy.
O-Teneri Farm & J Stables LLC; B-Teneri Farms Inc. & Bernardo
Alvarez Calderon (FL); T-Roderick R. Rodriguez. $23,500.
3–Mischievous Kiss, 120, f, 3, Into Mischief–Kiss the Devil, by
Kris S. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($300,000 RNA Ylg '20
KEESEP). O-Carl F. Pollard; B-CFP Thoroughbreds LLC (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $11,750.
Margins: 1HF, 1HF, 5. Odds: 1.70, 4.60, 4.30.
Also Ran: Last Leaf, Lia Marina, Beside Herself, Bali Del Sol, Lemieux, Dia de Sol, Howdyoumakeurmoney, Soul of an Angel. Scratched: Diamond Wow, Dolce Zel (Fr). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Spendarella fulfilled the promise of her impressive debut victory over the Hallandale turf course Feb. 2 with a wire-to-wire victory in the GIII Herecomesthebride S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Favored while facing 10 foes here, the Gainesway homebred zipped out to the early lead and set a moderate pace as she and Lemieux (Nyquist) distanced themselves from the rest of the field. The bay filly scampered clear into the stretch and maintained her advantage to the wire.

“She's always been a nice filly, and she just keeps growing and getting more intelligent about the job,” said Alice Clapham, assistant to winning trainer Graham Motion. “She seems to know what life's about. The first race really kind of helped her grow up. She's a New York-bred, so she'll most probably head up there, at some point. She'll let us tell us where she wants to run.”

Pedigree Notes:
Spendarella is the fifth graded stakes winner for Gainesway stallion Karakontie, who has also been represented by GII Mrs. Revere S. winner Princess Grace, GII Del Mar Derby winner None Above the Law, GIII Sam F. Davis S. winner Sole Volante and group winner Kenzai Warrior. The filly's full-sister Spanish Loveaffair, a two-time stakes winner and three times graded placed, sold for $775,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.
Spanish Bunny, who was purchased by Gainesway for $130,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale, has a 2-year-old filly by Destin and produced a colt by Uncle Mo this year.

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