Shantisara Rallies In Stretch To Win Jockey Club Oaks At Belmont

Shantisara wins the Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont Park.

Shantisara (IRE) sat just off fellow Chad Brown trainee Higher Truth throughout the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks Invitational and rallied in the stretch to pass her stablemate and take the last leg of the Turf Triple at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

A last-out winner in the Grade 3 Pucker Up at Arlington Park, Shantisara with Flavien Prat broke cleanly and took up position on the outside of Higher Truth, content to sit a length back early. With early fractions of :25.51 for the first quarter of a mile and :51.70 for the half, Higher Truth ran easily on the front, looking to take the race gate to wire.

On the far turn, Shantisara pulled even with the leader, as Harajuku started her move on the hedge. While Harajuku looked for running room after trailing much of the race, the two Chad Brown fillies dueled down the Belmont stretch, with Shantisara able to dig in and take the lead in the race’s final yards to win by a half-length. Higher Truth was second and Harajuku third.

The final time for the 1 3/8 miles was 2:16.91. Find this race’s chart here.

Shantisara paid $11.40, $5.40, and $3.60. Higher Truth paid $3.20 and $2.20. Harajuku paid $2.80.

Bred in Ireland by Oliver Donlon, Shantisara is by Coulsty out of the Dalakhani mare Kharana. She is owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Robert LaPenta. She was consigned by Aguiar Bloodstock and sold to Federico Barberini, agent, for $13,171 at the 2020 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale With her win in the Jockey Club Oaks, the 3-year-old filly has two wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of $488,108.