Gas Total fires in Osunitas

Haras Phillipson Inc.’s homebred Gas Total earned her first stakes win on Saturday when just running down My Monet in the Osunitas S. over the good, but sloppy-looking, main track at Del Mar.

The race was originally supposed to take place on the turf but was moved to the main track after rain storms moved through the area earlier on the day.

The change in surface didn’t bother Gas Total, who was content to track behind the pace battle that developed between My Monet and Theatre Star up front. Those two battled it out through splits of :23.93, :47.41 and 1:11.65.

My Monet emerged victorious from that tussle in the lane, but Gas Total was coming hard. The Richard Mandella trainee just got the best of her rival by a neck to stop the clock in 1:46.68 for 1 1/16 miles.

Gas Total was sent off the even-money favorite under jockey Flavien Prat and earned her first stakes score in this spot. The bay mare is Group 1-placed in her native Brazil and captured her initial U.S. start against allowance/optional claiming rivals on March 29.

The six-year-old mare followed that up with a pair of nice seconds in the main-track Vanity S. (G1) and, most recently, the June 7 Possibly Perfect H. going 1 1/2 miles over the Santa Anita Park turf.

Mandella mentioned that Gas Total would likely compete again before the end of the Del Mar meet, possibly in the Yellow Ribbon H. (G2) going 1 1/16 miles on the turf September 6. 

Gas Total photos courtesy of Benoit Photos