By Alan Carasso
Reverting to front-running tactics for the first time since winning her maiden in impressive fashion at Saratoga last August, Tracy Farmer homebred La Cara made every pole a winning one in Saturday's Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, besting favored Her Laugh, who lost her race at the break but ran on courageously in the final stages.
As opposed to Her Laugh, who was playing up in stall six and missed the kick by a good four lengths, La Cara hit the ground running and took the field into the first turn, perhaps a fraction keen through the opening quarter in :24.03. Settled better through the middle stages, La Cara picked up the pace and began to put a bit of daylight on her rivals entering the turn and it was strictly her race to lose nearing the stretch. The result was never in doubt from there, as she strode out a facile winner.
Her Laugh lingered at the tail, but had caught up to the field passing the quarter pole. A rails run did not materialize and she was forced to come out three off the inside to deliver whatever rally there was and she finished well, but far too belatedly.
Following the seven-furlong maiden breaker at the Spa, La Cara resorted to a come-from-behind style to take out the GIII Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill in September. She never landed a blow when a distant fifth to champion Immersive (Nyquist) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies back on Nov. 1.
Cara Caterina, a full-sister to MGISW To Honor and Serve and GISW Angela Renee; and a half-sister to SW Elnaawi (Street Sense), was purchased by Tracy Farmer for $500,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September sale. The SW & GSP third dam Misty Hour was responsible for MGSW India (Hennessy), the dam of dual-surface Japanese Group 1 winner Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) and SW 'TDN Rising Star' Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro). The last listed foal from Cara Caterina is a yearling full-brother to La Cara.
The victory was worth 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks for La Cara, who has now amassed a total of 33 points, good for a joint-second with GIII Las Virgenes Stakes winner Tenma (Nyquist). Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
SUNCOAST S., $100,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-8, 3yo, f, 1m 40y, 1:38.51, ft.
1–LA CARA, 124, f, 3, by Street Sense
1st Dam: Cara Caterina, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Pilfer, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Misty Hour, by Miswaki
O/B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Mark E Casse; J-Dylan Davis. $60,000. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-3-1-0, $378,520.
2–Her Laugh, 122, f, 3, Practical Joke–Truth Goddess, by Point of Entry. O/B-Grantley Acres (KY); T-D Whitworth Beckman. $20,000.
3–Deloraine, 120, f, 3, Candy Ride (Arg)–Elaine's Cat, by Discreet Cat. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. O/B-Godolphin LLC (KY); T-Eoin G Harty. $10,000.
Margins: 6 1/4, 1 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 3.60, 2.40, 16.70.
Also Ran: Italian Soiree, Dancing Magic, Cloe, Queen in the Deck, Junta.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
