CA. DISTAFF HANDICAP

*(Due to weather the CA Distaff Handicap came off the turf and was run on the main track)



JOCKEY QUOTES

FERNANDO PEREZ, OUR PURE CREATION, WINNER: “There were a couple of speed horses. The favorite, Home Journey and Velvet Mesquite, so I knew they would go straight to the lead. I stayed behind them so I was close and I stayed to the outside to keep a clear path. At the end she had a big kick.”



TRAINER QUOTES


MIKE PUYPE, TRAINER FAVORED HOME JOURNEY, FOURTH: “This was a little long for her on the dirt. On grass, no problem. She likes the turf but there’s no question she needs grass.”



VAL BRINKERHOFF, OUR PURE CREATION, WINNER: “This is only the first horse I’ve ever run here at Santa Anita. She’s run here before though I’m not sure if she ever won or not. I was glad we got her in this Cal-bred race.

“Well I was glad it came off the turf. Mike Puype’s horse, Home Journey is a known quantity down the hill and we weren’t. Our Pure Creation runs well on the dirt so I was glad, I thought we had a better chance. She’s run on all three surfaces so whatever comes up and we can get in, we’ll take.

“We’ve had a long trip with her, I have to thank Mr. Parker for sticking with her through all this. They sent her to me over in Phoenix and she had a bit of a tendon on her so I started swimming her in the pool. We were two days away from stopping the swimming and were going to breeze her but she got colic so we had to operate. $10,000 dollars and seven months later we got back to Del Mar to run but it might have been a blessing in disguise. That extra seven months off on that leg and it got better and better. She’s a nice filly. She used to be so skinny and that time off helped her, she blossomed.”



JOE PARKER, WINNING OWNER/BREEDER, OUR PURE CREATION: “We were happy the race came off the grass this morning. You never know what’s going to happen, but I noticed in a few of the earlier races, if two or three horses went to the front, the horses running from behind were doing well. I think this track is probably a little wet and kinda drying out. I sold this mare’s mother in foal to Lucky Pulpit at the Barrett’s Winter Mixed Sale last January, so somebody’s got a lot to look forward to.

“I’ve been breeding here in California for 25 years and I sold my farm in the San Joaquin Valley a year and a half ago. This mare got hurt and we gave her quite a bit of time. Val took her and turned her around. I think we might look for a race at Del Mar and then back here this winter. She’s gonna be six years old, but Hughes (B. Wayne, owner of superstar mare Beholder) says he’s gonna run his mare at six, so I think we’ll follow his lead.”