UNZIP ME BACK ON TOP OF HER GAME WITH WISHING WELL TRIUMPH

After disappointing as the prohibitive favorite in 4 of her 6 previous starts, 6-year-old Unzip Me reaffirmed her status as the West Coast’s premier female turf sprinter Sunday with a half-length victory over Teroda in Santa Anita’s $86,600 Wishing Well Stakes.




With longtime companion Rafael Bejarano in the saddle, Unzip Me gained control entering the stretch and safely rebuffed the runner-up’s last charge while running the 6 ½-furlong distance of Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in a swift 1:11.94.



Her connections had considered stretching the California-bred chestnut mare out to one mile for the first time in Saturday’s $100,000 Valentine Dancer Stakes for state-breds, but changed course in an eleventh-hour decision. “It looked like there was a lot of pace in there on Saturday,” trainer Marty Jones had explained.