Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview.com

ARCADIA, Calif., — Forever Together came the widest of all to prevail in a blanket finish of five horses in the Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday at Santa Anita Park. Forever Together got up by half a length, but it took a photo to decide the other placings. Sealy Hill edged Wait A While for second with Visit in fourth.

Jockey Frankie Dettori was eager to get Folk Opera to the lead and broke on the run from the nine hole when the race started on the lower part of the downhill turf course. Folk Opera was in front as she and Dettori crossed the dirt track onto the main turf course. Dettori slowed the pace once they were on the stretch for the first time and the quarter-mile went in :25.46 and the half-mile was a dawdling :50.02.

Halfway to Heaven and Wait A While were content to sit behind the leader as the walked up the backstretch. The field reached the three-eighths pole in 1:14.78. The field had bunched rounding the second turn and horses were fanning out at the quarter pole.

Jockey Julien Leparoux and Forever Together came about 10 paths wide and was bearing down on Wait A While who had snatched the lead at the top of the stretch. Anyone of five had a shot in the final sixteenth of a mile, but it was Forever Together who was going the best and stopped the time in 2:01.58 for the mile-and-a-quarter race.

Leparoux sound pretty confident after the race. “She was relaxed, kind of behind a little bit, but she was very relaxed. Like usual, she made that kick at the end. She’s amazing. It’s a great privilege to ride this filly. She’s amazing. Probably one of the best fillies I ever rode. I was confident. I was not disappointed when she finished third at Woodbine.”

Trainer Jonathan Sheppard said Forever Together’s move wasn’t unusual.  “That was her normal style of running to come from far off the pace. We pretty much decided not to change anything, even though I was a bit concerned with the firmer ground. But we said, let’s not change anything, it’s been working up to now.

“She had never been farther than a mile and an eighth, and you don’t know if they’ll go a mile and a quarter until you try. My only concern was with her style of running with the firm turf and fairly tight turns.”

Patrick Husbands said Sealy Hill did herself in when she got in the clear. “I wanted to keep her covered up until the very last minute.  She’s got Woodbine figured out but this was a new course for her.  At the eighth pole, a hole opened and she just went shooting through.  She got to the lead and then just kind of pulled herself up and the other horse just went by.”

Trainer Mark Casse was expecting a big performance out of Sealy Hill. “I wasn’t surprised. I thought she was training better than ever. She had a really good breeze out here. I thought she would like the firmer turf. I thought there would be some pace in there, and she came running. The plan was, if she ran well in the E.P. Taylor Stakes, we would come out and try it. There was no pace in the E.P. Taylor (in which she finished third). This looks like it’s going to be it with her. She has a date with Distorted Humor —unless Mr. Melnyk (owner Eugene Melnyk) changes his mind.”