Faiza remained unbeaten in Saturday’s $300,500 Starlet (G1) at Los Alamitos, prevailing by a head over Pride of the Nile.
The two-year-old filly feature offered points on a 10-4-3-2-1 scale as a Road to the Kentucky Oaks series qualifier, but Faiza and fourth-placer finisher Doinitthehardway aren’t eligible to receive points since trainer Bob Baffert is suspended by Churchill Downs Inc.
It was an exciting duel through the final furlong. After rating a couple of lengths off the pace in third, Faiza moved three-wide on the far turn in tandem with Pride of the Nile, who advanced along the rail into contention.
Faiza held a slight advantage as the rivals locked up in upper stretch, but the battle was still in the balance. Pride of the Nile fought all the way to the wire, but she could not get past the determined winner.
From the first crop of Girvin, Faiza was exiting a 3 1/2-length romp at odds-on in her Nov. 12 debut at Del Mar. The bay miss stretched out to 1 1/16 miles with jockey Flavien Prat, and the 1-2 favorite stopped the teletimer in 1:44.49. She’s campaigned by Michael Lund Petersen.
Pride of the Nile, who overcame a stumbling start, was more than five lengths clear of third at 12-1. The Pioneerof the Nile filly was making her first dirt attempt after recording back-to-back wins over maiden and entry-level allowance foes on turf.
Uncontrollable, who was making her first outing since a second in the Chandelier (G2) in early October, came next in third, and she was followed by Doinitthehardway, Blessed Touch, and Classymademoiselle.
Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Faiza is the first stakes winner from the Smart Strike mare Sweet Pistol. Faiza’s second maternal dam, multiple Grade 2-winning sprinter Pomeroy’s Pistol, produced Thousand Words, who was on the Kentucky Derby trail after winning the 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) and Robert B. Lewis (G3) in his three-year-old opener.
