Gem of Soul wins Santa Anita feature
March 8, 2012ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) - Gem of Soul beat Caelis by 2 3/4 lengths Thursday in the $60,094 Special 28FX Purse for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Brazil-bred Gem of Soul ran a mile on the turf in 1:34.16 and paid $18, $9 and $6.40 at 8-1 odds in her U.S. debut.
Trainer A.C. Avila says Gem of Soul had no sleep the night before after a pet sheep, who lives in her stall, gave birth.
Caelis returned $5.60 and $3.60, while Let's Go Cheyenne was another half-length back in third and paid $4.40 to show.
The victory was worth $34,800 for Gem of Soul, who had two wins and a second in three starts in Brazil.