Trainer John Shirreffs' Nereid and Jeff Bonde's Cambina finished in a dead-heat tie for victory in the Grade I, $250,000 American Oaks on Saturday at Hollywood Park.
Ridden by Joe Talamo and making her stakes debut, Nereid went straight to the lead in the turf marathon for 3-year-old fillies and held on into the stretch. Cambina and jockey Martin Garcia caught her at the wire and forced the draw in a wild ending with less than a length separating the first five finishers.
"She can do anything," Talamo said of Nereid. "She didn't even start running today until she got to the sixteenth pole. When she felt them coming, she really kicked on. She's got a very, very bright future."
It was the first dead heat in a Hollywood Park stakes since 2002, and the first in a Grade I at the track since 1990.
Star Billing was a head back in third, long shot Entrustment was another head back in fourth and Bizzy Caroline was a half-length behind her in fifth after stalking Nereid in second for most of the race.
Nereid ran 1-1/4 miles in 2 minutes, 1.46 seconds and returned $5.40 for a win bet. Cambina, who took her third stakes but earned her first Grade I win with the dead-heat finish, paid $4.60, on a win bet.
Later in the $200,000 A Gleam Handicap, Garcia led trainer Bob Baffert's mare Irish Gypsy to a gate-to-wire win in another tight finish, holding on to win by a slight nose as favorite Ultra Blend rallied from ninth and last but came up just short.
With the win, Irish Gypsy, owned by frequent Baffert partner Mike Pegram, earned a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Churchill Downs.
She covered seven furlongs on the main track in 1:22.44 and paid $12. Tanda was third.
In the Landaluce Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, Killer Graces, with Talamo in the saddle, rallied for a half-length victory over long shot early leader Mighty Caroline. Killer Graces ran six furlongs in 1:11.23 and returned $6.60.
