Pattys Saint, under jockey Eduardo Nicasio, drives to victory in the Grade 1 $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–JANUARY 7, 2024–Pattys Saint's speed travels wherever the talented Grade 1 winner goes.

Already a track record holder at Grants Pass in Oregon and also at Sweetwater Downs in Wyoming, the Dunn Ranch-owned Pattys Saint posted the second fastest time in the 23-year history of the Grade 1, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

Starting from post number nine, Pattys Saint took the lead right from the start and never looked back on her way to posting a half-length victory in a time of :19.416, which in all fairness was aided by a 20 mile per hour tailwind.

Her winning time is second only to Stylish Jess Br's stakes record of :19.29 set in the 2011 running of the Charger Bar.

Jeryl Hartley presents the winning connections of Pattys Saint the Charger Bar Stakes trophy and blanket.
© William Zuazo

A 6-year-old Idaho-bred mare, Pattys Saint was ridden to victory by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Monty Arrossa. For Nicasio, this was his 99th career stakes win at Los Alamitos and his second in Charger Bar. He won the 2019 running aboard Thermonuclear Energy. Arrossa was picking up his first Charger Bar win.

Pattys Saint, a daughter of Jess Got Easier out of the Shackleton mare Sp Saint Patty, set the 350-yard track record at Sweetwater Downs on September 10 when winning the Isawsugarbear Stakes by a length.

On July 1, she won the AQHA Distaff Grants Pass Challenge to set the track record at 400 yards. Bred by the late Robert Harrison, Pattys Saint was picking up her second Grade 1 victory at Los Alamitos. Racing for Harrison at the time, Pattys Saint also won the 2021 AQHA Distaff Challenge Championship.

Jockey Eduardo Nicasio and Pattys Saint enter the winner's circle at Los Alamitos Race Course. © William Zuazo

A stone-cold winning machine, Pattys Saint has now won 18 of 26 career starts. She earned $55,000 in the Charger Bar to take her career earnings to $317,652.

Arrossa watched over Pattys Saint during her last stay at Los Alamitos, as he helped out the Idaho-based trainer Heath Hillman when he campaigned her at Los Alamitos in 2022. After Harrison passed away last year, Pattys Saint continued her racing career under the ownership of Harrison's wife, Marjory.

After Pattys Saint's completed her 2023 campaign, Dunn Ranch purchased her privately for an undisclosed amount. She returned to Los Alamitos and to Arrossa's barn in time to prepare for the Charger Bar.

"Mrs. Harrison decided she would keep her and run her through the end of the season last year after Bob had passed away," Arrossa said. "After the Challenge Championship she wanted to sell her. I had been helping her a little market some of (her) horses. I talked to a couple of my clients, and they were interested. Matt Dunn called me and said 'Let's try to buy her.' I was thinking just to breed and he said, 'What do you think about taking her back to Los Al?' I said 'Please!' She's a super class mare. She's an ultra-professional. I'm really proud of an Idaho-bred."

Arrossa indicated that he'll keep Pattys Saint in Orange County to take advantage of the track's superb stakes program for mares. He'll do the same with Dunn Ranch's Eye Live For Candy, who ran earlier on Sunday in the Dashingly Stakes.

"This is a great mare program," he added. "They didn't pull any embryos from either of them. They're here to run. We are very thankful for the great mare program here. It's the best in the country and it's phenomenal. There were 32 nominations for this race. That's a testament to a strong program. We'll stay here and support this program."

Arrossa had the experience of working with Pattys Saint in 2022.

"Heath Hillman did all the training and guided that. We were just the caretakers. She has the same groom as before. He had her here before. She settled nicely back into our barn. There are a lot of real good opportunities here. I love training mares. They can be temperamental, and some can be tough to manage. These good mares when they get to running, they're tough."

Gentry Farms' Fearless Moon and Ed Allred's Nymphette, a pair of newly turned 4-year-old mares finished second and third, respectively.

Fearless Moon, a daughter of champion sire First Moonflash who entered this race after running fourth in the Los Alamitos Super Derby, earned $22,500 for her runner-up effort. Jesus Rios Ayala piloted her for trainer Juan Aleman.

Nymphette, who was making her first start since June 11, was sixth leaving the gate before closing strongly as she usually does to finish third. Diego Herrera piloted her for trainer James Glenn, Jr. The 5-year-old Fly Thru The Fire mare earned $12,500.

Another freshly turned 4-year-old mare, P and J Racing Ltd's AJ Born Runnin was fourth. Oscar Peinado piloted the Jaime Gomez-trained AJ Born Runnin, who earned $7,500 for her fourth place finish.

Lil Longmire, Famous Shining Star, Political Royalty, Jess Dream Of Me, Budder Off Friends, and Cir Lady Moon completed the field.

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