Maysam gets the nod in heart-stopping Santa Ysabel S. (G3)

Maysam nosed out Supa Speed in a thrill stretch-long duel to win the $100,000 Santa Ysabel S. (G3) Sunday at Santa Anita Park.

With the win, the 3-year-old Bob Baffert-trained filly picked up her first 25 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) championship series, joining her stablemate Tenma in the current top 10 on the qualifying list.

Maysam dictated the pace through the first six furlongs before Supa Speed pulled up to her outside midway on the final turn. Supa Speed got her head in front in upper stretch before Maysam battled back to win by the slimmest of margins in 1:45.62 for the 1 1/16-miles on a fast track.

“It was really close,” said winning rider J.J. Hernandez. “We were fighting from the quarter pole to the wire, but my filly put her nose in front. She was really happy today. Last time in the Sunland Park Oaks, I think she didn”t like the track at all. She was really upset.

“Today, she was a different filly. She was so happy today. She broke really sharp and was waiting for company. She was looking around just waiting for the competition.

The Santa Ysabel came just two weeks after Maysam’s sub-par outing in the Sunland Park Oaks and was a welcome rebound for her owner Michael Lund Petersen. A daughter of the Baffert-trained champion 2-year-old Game Winner, Maysam has won two of three starts and earned $98,500.