Hartigan Wins Pimlico's Pearl Necklace

BALTIMORE, May 31 -- Trainer Richard Small pointed his undersize but determined 3-year-old filly Hartigan toward a run in the Grade III $100,000 Dogwood Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

A late change of heart kept the Pimlico-based trainer at home for a run in the easier $60,000 Pearl Necklace, a turf stakes race restricted to Maryland breds. When early afternoon rain washed the race onto the dirt course, Hartigan's two principal out-of-town rivals scratched, and she had the field at her mercy.

With an easy ground-saving trip, Hartigan moved to the front with a half-mile remaining, had little trouble putting away leader Clara's Song and opened up under jockey Jozbin Santana to win by 4 1/4 lengths.

For jockey agent Robert Klesaris, this was not what he wanted. His rider, Luis Garcia, had the mount on Hartigan, and likely would have gone to Churchill Downs for the stakes race. For insurance, Klesaris told trainer Carlos Garcia two weeks ago that if something happened, he would ride Clara's Song in the Pearl Necklace.

When Small doubled back, Klesaris couldn't extricate himself from his second commitment and Small gave the mount on Hartigan, a multiple stakes winner, to Santana.

"That's why the mount [on Hartigan] was left open the last couple days," Klesaris said, "but we had to honor the mount."

In the winner's circle, after Hartigan had won the 1 1/16 -mile Pearl Necklace in a moderate time of 1 minute 47.42 seconds, Small hinted that maybe Klesaris should not have looked past his horse.

"I think the agent's too clever by half," he said. "I don't like to change riders. You want to stay with one."

Anna Rose Napravnik, who twice had ridden Hartigan, was named to ride Dicey D J for New York-based trainer Linda Rice, who scratched when the Pearl Necklace was taken off the grass.

Hartigan, bred by owner Robert Meyerhoff, didn't care who was on her back. The daughter of former handicap star Include isn't particularly fast but knows how to find the finish line first.

In the Pearl Necklace, she ran the first half-mile in fourth place as Clara's Song nursed a two-length lead through a dawdling 48.96 seconds on the muddy track. Small had another runner in the field, Inventive, who began to press the pace to the stretch and helped soften up Clara's Song for Hartigan's late run.

"There was no speed in the race," Santana said. "The filly broke sharp, and I got right behind the filly in front. When I saw the chance to get out, I did. I knew I had the best horse in the race."

Hartigan has won four of nine career starts and three stakes races, earning $151,000.

Small has won the Pearl Necklace four times, with Star Minister in 1992, Proud Owner in 1998 and He Loves Me in 2004. In that most recent victory, Santana also rode in an off-the-turf event.

Asked why he opted to stay at Pimlico instead of venture to Churchill Downs, Small said: "I decided I'd better keep them both here. I might need both to be good enough to beat them."

Racing Notes: The final race of the day was a match race between two maidens after 10 horses scratched when the race was shifted from turf to dirt. Piney Mountain, ridden by Napravnik, defeated Task Force by 9 1/4 lengths. . . .

The Pimlico spring meet has four days of live racing remaining, ending Saturday on Belmont Stakes Day. . . .

Smooth Air rebounded after an 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby to win the Grade II $300,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown in Cleveland.