GRAZED MY HEART UP TO WIN $200,000 LEIGH ANN HOWARD CALIFORNIA CUP OAKS BY A NOSE, FILLY BY GRAZEN GETS MILE ON TURF IN 1:37.41

RACE IS PART OF LUCRATIVE CTBA-SPONSORED GOLDEN STATE SERIES

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2023)—In an agonizingly tight finish, the Jeff Mullins-trained Grazed My Heart was up to win Saturday’s $200,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks by a nose, giving jockey Hector Berrios his second stakes win on Cal Cup Day at Santa Anita. A 3-year-old filly by Grazen, Grazed My Heart got one mile on turf in 1:37.41.

Last, about seven lengths off pacesetter and eventual runner-up Sell the Dream three furlongs out, Grazed My Heart hugged the rail around the turn, angled three-deep at the furlong pole and managed to get up in time.

Claimed out of a second place finish for maiden $50,000 four starts back on Aug. 19 at Del Mar, Grazed My Heart was most recently second going one mile on dirt in the statebred Soviet Problem Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 11.

Off at 5-1 today, she paid $13.80, $5.40 and $3.20.

Out of the Scat Daddy mare Daddy’s Duo, Grazed My Heart was bred in California by Cicero Farms, LLC and the Batchelor Family Trust.

Owned in part by former trainer Mark Cofer and his wife Patricia, along with the Webb Family Trust, Grazed My Heart collected $110,000 for the Oaks victory, increasing her earnings to $198,020 from an overall mark of 7-2-3-1.

The 6-5 favorite with Flavien Prat, frontrunning Sell the Dream finished a half length in front of Cast Member and paid $3.00 and $2.20.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Cast Member was able to tuck into third position from her outside post and was lapped on the favorite around the first turn, got on terms a quarter mile from home and stayed well through the drive to finish 1 ½ lengths in front of longshot Golden Again.

Off at 7-2, Cast Member paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.62, 47.94, 1:12.36 and 1:24.57.