Final Mesa (Center); Photo: Bob Coglianese
by Sarah Mace
After a five-month layoff, newly-turned three-year-old Final Mesa returned to the races with a flourish on Wednesday, winning the $100,000 Grade 3 Old Hat Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths for owner/trainer Wesley Ward on opening day at Gulfstream Park.
Considered by Ward at one point last summer as a candidate to ship to Royal Ascot, Final Mesa was nothing short of brilliant in her first three career starts. After winning her Keeneland debut on Polytrack by 7 ½ lengths on April 16, the bay daughter of Sky Mesa went on to capture two stakes by more than a combined twelve lengths. On May 15 she took the 4 ½-furlong Polly Drummond Stakes Delaware Park by 4 ¾ lengths (her only conventional dirt start prior to the Old Hat) and appeared next on June 26 at Woodbine, stretching out to five furlongs and dominating the My Dear Stakes field by 7 ¾ lengths. Final Mesa’s next stop was the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar on August 6, but she turned in a sub-par performance finishing sixth, and spent the next five months on the bench. Since then, according to Ward, “She’s been doing well. She just had some problems [in the Sorrento]. I gave her a little time off.”
Going into the six-furlong Old Hat Stakes, Final Mesa showed six published works at Gulfstream at regular intervals, the last on December 27 going five furlongs in 1:004. Ward’s only reservation was that his filly might need a race. “The layoff is a bit of a concern,” Ward said. “I think some of the other fillies in there might be a little more race-fit.” As to other factors – stretching out to six furlongs and running on dirt – he sounded completely confident. “She looks fast, but she can sit off the speed. She’s a really easy-going filly and will do whatever we ask. I think she’s equally good on dirt and synthetic. The surface is not a concern.”
The Old Hat field of six was formidable, with lots of speed and three other stakes-winning three-year-old fillies signed on (It’s Me Mom, Quantum Miss and Roxy Gap). Having been treated to four rounds of musical jockeys in her first four starts – Robbie Albarado, Jose Valdivia, Eibar Coa and Joel Rosario – Final Mesa teamed up for a second time on Wednesday with Rosario, who made the trip from Southern California for the repeat call. The pair went to post three as 5-to-2 third choice behind favorite PA-bred Quantum Miss (Smoke Glacken), winner of a restricted stakes in her last start on November 24 by 16 lengths, and Roxy Gap (Indian Charlie), a Eugene Melnyk homebred unbeaten in three starts in Canada last summer, breaking from posts five and six, respectively.
Photo: Bob Coglianese
After the break speed dominated as promised. Final Mesa was first to hit the front, but shortly ceded the lead to It’s Me Mom (Put It Back), who broke to her inside and clocked the first quarter in 21.60. Final Mesa then retook the top spot as the frontrunners moved through the turn. Meanwhile, 34-to-1 longshot Pomeroy’s Pistol moved up on the inside and Quantum Miss advanced on the outside, both overhauling the tiring It’s Me Mom. Around the furlong marker Final Mesa put away Pomeroy’s Pistol, ultimately her most serious challenger, and drew steadily away to the 1 ¾-length victory. Roxy Gap, who was last out of the gate and had as much as five lengths to make up in the stretch, got up for third. Favorite Quantum Miss stumbled coming out of the gate, bumped with Roxy Music and finished fifth. After a speedy half-mile in 44.10, Final Mesa stopped the clock at 1:09.75 for a Beyer Speed Figure of 87. With three stakes wins and a record of 4-0-0 from five starts, Final Mesa has now compiled an earnings bankroll of $202,377.
Photo: Bob Coglianese
Jockey Rosario said after the race, “[Final Mesa] broke well, but I saw the two other horses going a little quicker, so I just got her into an easy gallop off of them. She quickened really well and ran hard through the stretch. I never really panicked in the stretch because my filly was running hard the whole way.” As to her next start, Ward said, “I like to give my horses six to seven weeks between races. So we’ll look for something [at Gulfstream], probably two turns.”
Bred by Carmine Telesca and John Guerrera, Final Mesa was foaled, raised and prepped for sale at Michael Lischin’s Dutchess Views Farm. Given an A++ Werk Nick Rating, she was purchased by Wesley Ward at the 2009 Saratoga Preferred Yearling Sale for $72,000. Final Mesa is the sixth winner of seven foals to race out of the unraced Smart Style mare Final Style, including graded winner and New York Stallion Uncle Camie (Abaginone), who currently stands at Silver Nails Farm and whose first crop is three this year. To date Final Style’s progeny have earned $735,613. She has a two-year-old colt by Andromeda’s Hero named Final Stride, a yearling filly by Posse, and is currently in foal with a full sibling to Final Mesa due in March.
