Pocahontas S.

 Stretching out in distance seemed to do the trick for Patrona Margarita, who easily pulled away from her competition in the stretch to win the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.

Although Craig Upham’s homebred filly won her debut going 4 1/2 furlongs on June 9 at Churchill, she returned three weeks later for the six-furlong Debutante Stakes in the slop and finished eighth after going extremely wide in the turn. The Texas-bred daughter of Special Rate then ran at Lone Star Park in the five-furlong Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, where she finished a close third.

Her connections thought she was a two-turn runner and their thoughts were confirmed Saturday when their filly won the 1 1/16-mile race for juvenile fillies by 3 3/4 lengths on the main track.

“What a rollercoaster-day. It’s a tough when you think back on what could have been winning two stakes but we are happy to win the Pocahontas," said winning trainer Bret Calhoun, whose Mayla finished first in the Open Mind Stakes two races prior but was disqualified to fifth after drifting in. “We pointed toward this race and she’s trained phenomenally. She looked like a true two-turn horse in the mornings.”

Sent off at 23-1, Patrona Margarita returned $49.60, $22, and $9.40 across the board.

“Craig has been saying it all along: wait until this filly stretches out to two turns,” said winning jockey Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. “With 2-year-olds you never know how they will respond passing horses and you have to feel good the way she was able to win this race today.”

Out of the winning Naevus mare Margarita Mistress, Patrona Margarita is a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire Texas Chrome. She now has earnings of $150,253.

“With her breeding we always thought she’d do well going around two turns. It’s special to be on the ‘Road to the Kentucky Oaks’ trail. Our horse will tell us where to send her next. I just hope she comes out of the race happy and healthy,” Upham said.—Erin Shea