Ascendancy repeats in She’s A Tiger at Alameda County Fair!

Photo credit: Vasser Photography

On paper, there was no doubt Ascendancy was the best horse on paper coming into the She’s A Tiger stakes race on Saturday, June 22 at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton.

Last year she had won the race, blowing down the lane to pull away and win by over three-lengths.

One year later, she was back, going to post as the overwhelming favorite at 2/5 odds. And she did it again, biding her time until she hit the stretch, then took over.

“It means a lot to come back here and win this again,” said Ascendancy trainer and part owner OJ Jauregui. “I love this fair. I live close and love running here.”

It was an incredible last year for the horse who burst on the scene with the win last summer.

After winning in Pleasanton last year, Ascendancy became a road warrior. Blessed with the ability to run on the turf as well, the horse’s next six races took place at six different tracks.

First it was a trip down south where she was eighth out of a 14-horse field is a stake at Del Mar. Next was a win in the Luther Burbank on the turf in Santa Rosa in August.

At that point, Ascendancy went to the shelf until March of this year where she appeared in a turf stake at Turf Paradise in Arizona.

After finishing in the middle of the pack after the return, Ascendancy stepped up running third in the Grade III Wilshire on the grass at Santa Anita.

“Golden Gate Fields had no stakes for us so we went to Arizona and Santa Anita,” explained Jauregui. “The owners wanted to east from there.”

That meant the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard, where she finished sixth in a race once by Chili Flag, a horse that came back to win her next start.

The connections then went further east to Pimlico for a spot in the Gallorette on the undercard of the Preakness Stakes. It was a turf race that was soft that day, and realistically should have been moved to the main track.

After finishing, Ascendancy came back home for a break. After the brief break, the horse blasted a pair of bullet works, one at Golden Gate Fields, and one at Pleasanton.

All signs pointed to a big effort in the She’s A Tiger and they got just that.

The win last year pointed Ascendancy to some travel. What’s the next move here.

“That’s a good question,” said Jauregui.

Selfishly, I would love to see the connections wheel the horse back to take on the boys in the $150,000 Pleasanton Mile on July 7 in Pleasanton.

Saturday, she looked like there was a ton left in the tank at the end of the 1-1/16 mile She’s A Tiger. Being 2-for-2 on the dirt in Pleasanton, it would be a great race to see.

But that must be a decision that comes from the connections, and rest assured the barn will do what’s best for the horse.

By Dennis Miller