SANTA YSABEL STAKES GRADE 3

Awesome Baby fought off a determined challenge from runner-up Artemis to win Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by 2 ¾ lengths under Mike Smith, getting 1 1/16 miles in a driving rain over a surface labeled wet/fast in 1:41.58.

SANTA YSABEL STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

MIKE SMITH, AWESOME BABY, WINNER: “The game plan was to break and get a clear lead so we could give her a chance to take a breather.

“We weren’t sure that she would go long; she didn’t at two. We got the first quarter in twenty-three and it was all her after that. I told Bob that I don’t know if it was her turning three or the mud today, but I finished with something left. That was real impressive to me since I didn’t know if she was going to get the distance at all.