It’s not unusual for the progeny of recently deceased patriarch Unusual Heat, or jockey Corey Nakatani, to star on the California turf, and How Unusual illustrated both points with a 9-1 upset of Thanksgiving Day’s $102,415 Red Carpet H. (G3) at Del Mar.
Overlooked in this spot, with her best stakes results being a pair of placings in Cal-restricted events, the Mike Pender trainee swept from near the tail of the field to deny 2-1 favorite Responsibleforlove in the final strides. How Unusual thrived for the step up to 1 3/8 miles, but she was coming off a second-level allowance score going 1 1/8 miles versus open company at Santa Anita, and her new career high showcased how much she’s improved of late.
Ironically, How Unusual broke from the far outside post 12 – after Lottie, who originally drew the far outside, scratched precisely because of the post. Her trainer Graham Motion altered plans and added her to Friday’s Hollywood Turf Cup (G2), a move that might still work out for her, although the post didn’t hurt How Unusual at all. Aside from Lottie, the Red Carpet lost another fascinating contender with the withdrawal of Chad Brown’s Galileo’s Song.
For much of the race, Responsibleforlove appeared well placed relative to the pace, if covering more ground. The favorite was nestled in fifth as Do the Dance led the way through fractions of :23.69 and :48.39 on the firm turf, supplanted by Earring at the six-furlong mark in 1:13.57. As Birdie Gold advanced on the new leader through a mile in 1:38.59, Responsibleforlove likewise crept forward into a menacing third, and struck the front in the stretch.
But just when the favorite asserted, here came How Unusual quickening at the right instant for Nakatani to cut her down. The four-year-old nabbed her by a half-length in a final time of 2:14.92. According to Trakus, How Unusual reeled off her last three furlongs in :35.62. That sustained acceleration was the key to her victory, and a $21.80 win mutuel for her backers.
Laseen was the hard luck story of the Red Carpet. Trapped at the crucial juncture in upper stretch before belatedly finding daylight, she rallied for third, another half-length astern of Responsibleforlove. La Manta Gris reported home fourth, nosing out Evo Campo, whose rider, Rafael Bejarano, lost the whip in deep stretch; Kiss Me Now; Earring; Dynamic Mizzes K; Victress; Birdie Gold; and Domestic Vintage. Do the Dance stopped abruptly late on the backstretch, got pulled up, but thankfully walked off the course.
Co-owned by the trainer’s Pender Racing, Bob Fetkin, Hunter Sill, and Christophe St. Hilaire, How Unusual has now bankrolled $302,367 from her 19-5-2-3 line. She was initially trained by Barry Abrams, who bred her from the Bartok mare Veela in partnership with Madeline Auerbach. She later placed in the 2016 Campanile S. at Golden Gate for Tim Yakteen without garnering further stakes credits.
Acquired privately by Pender from Auerbach last year, How Unusual made a winning debut for the barn, but maintained her old pattern of finding stakes life tough when unplaced in the American Oaks (G1) and Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint. But How Unusual has reached a new level since taking the first half of the season off and resuming over the summer. She’s yet to finish out of the top three, including a troubled third in the August 11 Solana Beach, and now boasts back-to-back scores for the first time in her career.
Quotes from Del Mar
Trainer/co-owner Mike Pender on How Unusual: “She’s coming around, this filly. Every race gets a little bit better than the one before. We bought her for a ham sandwich at the end of last summer (2016). We bought her for $80,000 privately from Madeline (Auerbach). We’re really happy with this filly and that was a great ride by Corey (Nakatani).”
Winning rider Corey Nakatani: “Mike and I talked and we both agreed that there was only one way to go with her: to take her back, get her to settle and into a nice rhythm and then make that late run. I thought sure she’d handle the distance and she did. She’s a nice filly.”
Jockey Joe Talamo on Responsibleforlove, runner-up as the favorite: “Really good trip. She fired. Unfortunately, we didn’t win.”
Tiago Pereira, who rode the unlucky third Laseen: “I had nowhere to run around the turn; I had to wait. Then she came late. If I can get out and get a place, I think we win.”
