LOS ALAMITOS, CA–FEBRUARY 5, 2025–When Vanessa Rice acquired the Marino Marini maiden filly Met At The Dance in 2020 it was to add the 3-year-old to her equestrian warmblood breeding program in Cave Creek, Arizona.

Since then, Met At The Dance has become a mother, producing a 2022 Belgian warmblood named Quiet Riot, but has also returned to racing, making 26 starts over the past three years at Los Alamitos. And if her current form is any indication, the now 8-year-old Howard and Janet Siegel-bred runner may be in the best racing form of her career. She will now headline the sixth race at 4 1/2 furlongs here on Saturday.

Out of the Holy Bull mare Thankfully, Met At The Dance's last outing was a victory in a 1,000-yard race here on January 19, her second win from her last three starts at the Orange County oval. Met At The Dance's recent success has been a thrilling development for Rice, who for the past decade has dedicated herself to breeding and raising hunter jumpers, mostly Irish sport horses.

What has brought the first-time racehorse owner the most pleasure is seeing Met At The Dance do what she loves the most: run, run and run.

Met At The Dance began her racing career in 2020, racing three times for the Siegels, and under the tutelage of trainer Angela Aquino. Her early career efforts included a fourth-place finish in her first-ever start and a pair of third place finishes in her only other outings in 2020, including her final start of the year in a maiden claiming event at Los Alamitos in June.

Around that time, Rice was contacting several local trainers as she was on the lookout for a filly or mare that she could claim or purchase to add to her breeding operation.

"I got in touch with Angela and when she asked me what bloodlines I was looking for I mentioned Holy Bull because a lot of times those Holy Bull bloodlines make good sport horses in the warm blood crosses," Rice said. "Angela said, 'I have this other horse that is bred like how you like.'"

That horse was Met At The Dance.

"I already had my mind set on this other old-fashioned (bred) mare," Rice said. "But Angela wanted to find her a good home, so I agreed and took the two of them."

Met At The Dance arrived at Rice's farm in September and the following spring she was bred to Figaro B, a well-known stallion in the disciplines of dressage and show jumping. While she was pregnant, Rice noticed that Met At The Dance just kept looking stronger and stronger each day.

"When I got Met At the Dance, she was gangly and a little awkward. While she was here and got pregnant and had her baby, she turned into a beast. She didn't look anything like the horse that I originally got."

Yet, one thing was clear to Rice, Met At The Dance still had racing on her mind.

"I've taken a lot of horses off the track and when I get them all they want to do is eat," she said.  "I never restarted or handled her at all except for the artificial insemination. And the whole time I had her, every time I turned her out in the pasture or in the arena, all she would do was run and run and run.

"She already had had her foal for a whole 6 months. When it was time to wean (Quiet Riot), I thought that Met At The Dance was incredibly sound and that everything about her looked like a million dollars. She was not a prospect to be a jumper, so I decided to call Angela and see if she would give her another chance (at the track)."

Aquino was surprised when Rice asked her if she would train Met At The Dance again but agreed to bring the 5-year-old mare back to training.

"Angela came to town for some trials at Turf Paradise and I met her there," Rice said. "I brought Met At The Dance down there with me and Angela loaded her up on a trailer and took her to Los Alamitos. Barrington Harvey, who had done a lot of the work with her as a baby, got back on her and rode her out on the track. She had not had anyone on her back since she left the track, but it was as if she had never left."

Aquino took her time with Met At The Dance, bringing her along slowly and letting the mare work at her own pace. She didn't make her first comeback start until February 5, 2023, finishing a competitive fourth in a maiden race. In her second comeback start, Met At The Dance finished a strong second, while running an opening quarter in a solid :21.77.

"That's when we said 'Okay, she wants to run, she really wants to do this,' " Rice said.

Met At The Dance ran consistently from then on, winning her first race on July 30, 2023, while also running second or third in eight other races that year. She even qualified to the $40,000 Winter Stakes for Fillies & Mares at 1,000 Yards.

After the 2023 racing season at Los Alamitos wrapped up in December, Rice decided to take her mare back to Cave Creek, Arizona.

"I planned to breed her again, but she couldn't get pregnant," Rice said. "We have a short breeding season here because of the high temperatures. I won't breed anything that is not going to have a baby at least by April 1st because it's too hot after that.

"She got pregnant very easily the first time and if I kept trying, she would have eventually gotten pregnant the second time, but we just can't have mares with June foals. It's just too hot. I called Angela in mid-April and told her, 'Well, breeding season is done. What do you think? Do you want to try her again?' Angie said, "Yeah, we love her! Send her back.'"

Met At The Dance shipped back to Los Alamitos in May and made her first start in July of 2024. Since then, she's made seven starts, including sharpening her speed with three outings at the 2 ½ furlong distance. She has now finished in the top three in her last five races.

"She's never been scratched by the vet," Rice said. "And she's consistently hitting the board. She won in October and just won another race a couple of weeks ago. With her conditions, it is not as easy now and Angela is protecting her from being claimed and doesn't want to drop her down a claiming level. We'll keep her with the tough fillies and mares here.

"She is a beautiful horse and is built like a Mack truck," Rice added. "Some people think that she is a Quarter Horse. She is a funky mover, but she works well with what she's got. And she keeps improving."

Aquino has spent a lot of time helping Met At The Dance switch leads more efficiently. Her last victory was perhaps one of her smoothest trips around the track. Credit also goes to her rider, Jose Elias Rodriguez, who has worked with her regularly in the mornings, getting to know her ways more and more each day.

"I think she understands where the wire is now," the owner added. "She's good getting out of that gate and if you can set her up to change her lead, she will hug the turn and is not afraid of the rail. I think she's on the upswing and we'll keep finding races for her."

Now up to $62,777 in earnings and with 26 starts for Rice, Met At The Dance has become a special part of her owner's life. And Rice is happy to know that the mare's breeders, Howard and Janet Siegel, have also followed the mare's racing career.

"The Siegels are mainstays in the Southern California breeding program and Angela has trained both Met At The Dance's mother and siblings for them. The Siegels always send Angela texts with good luck wishes for Met At The Dance.  I've not spoken to them about the mare, but Angela has and it's always very positive.

"I have a lot of Thoroughbreds and I've taken a lot of Thoroughbreds off the track and turned them into sport horses, hunter jumpers, and it's never been my intention to have a racehorse. I've had horses since I was eight years old. I've been involved in reining, cutting, and a lot of other aspects in the horse industry, but this is by far the most exciting thing I've ever done. It's exciting because I know how much she loves to run. I know her from caring for her and living with her. To see her out there on the track, I know she's doing what she was born to do."

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For more information, please get in touch with larace@losalamitos.com. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.

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