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Globetrotter Gaga A takes the Possibly Perfect Handicap at Santa Anita

Sigi Mendoza
On June 9, 2015

Globetrotter Gaga A takes the Possibly Perfect Handicap at Santa Anita: The Uruguayan-bred Gaga A made a successful debut in the U.S. in authoritatively winning the Possibly Perfect Handicap over 1½ miles on the turf at Santa Anita on Sunday, June 7, 2015. Traveling from France, the six-year-old mare was returning from a long layoff but was still able to beat the heavy favorite and Grade I-placed Gas Total by 1¼ lengths under Tyler Baze.

Haras Phillipson’s Gaga A and jockey Tyler Baze win the $75,000 Possibly Perfect Handicap on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia CA. Photo: Benoit

In the Possibly Perfect, Gas Total, a Brazilian-bred, immediately took the lead and set very slow fractions of :25.91, :50,57, 1:16.50, 1:41.91, and 2:06.3 in an attempt to save energy and to put the field to sleep. Halljoy sat in second place, waiting for the right moment to attack while Gaga A just stalked the pace and sat in third, anticipating running room in the stretch. Gas Total ran hard in the stretch, but Gaga A’s late run was uncontainable as she won the race under a hand ride. Halljoy faded a bit and finished third, and Customer Base finished fourth. Gaga A looked like she really enjoyed the distance, never showing signs of tiredness. “She galloped out well after the wire, and she was full of energy. I gave her a nice pat crossing the wire; she threw her ears up and was just having a good time,” Baze said.

Sired by T. H. Approval, Gaga A was born in Uruguay at Haras Phillipson, but, curiously enough, she never ran in her native country. She started her career in Brazil before moving to Argentina, France, and now the United States, making her a real globetrotter. Haras Phillipson has stud farms in Brazil and Uruguay, but most of the Uruguayan-breds don’t run in Maronas, Uruguay; they usually start their careers in Brazil.
Trained by Neil Drysdale, Gaga A has now improved her record to 5 wins, 3 seconds, and 5 thirds in 25 starts, including a graded stakes victory in France and hitting the board in graded stakes races in all of the countries she has run.

After this nice performance, the plan is to try the Modesty Stakes (GIII) over 1-3/8 miles at Arlington. It will be interesting to watch the evolution of this mare in the United States since it has been demonstrated that she can handle route distances.

Possibly Perfect Handicap 2015 Replay: