Ria Antonia was declared the winner of the $2 million Juvenile Fillies when She's a Tiger was disqualified in the opening Breeders' Cup race Saturday that saw Secret Compass euthanized after breaking her leg.
Ridden by Javier Castellano, Ria Antonia finished second in the 1 1/16-mile race at Santa Anita. But after a stewards' inquiry, the 2-year-old filly was moved up to first. The stewards ruled that She's a Tiger and Gary Stevens drifted out late, bumped Ria Antonia and slowed her momentum.
It was the first DQ of a winner since the inaugural 1984 Juvenile Fillies race, in which Fran's Valentine won but was placed 10th.
Sent off at 32-1 odds, Ria Antonia paid $66.60, $29.80 and $17.40. The winning time was 1:43.02 and the margin was a nose.
She's a Tiger returned $6.40 and $4.80. Rosalind paid $6.80 to show.
Running third at the time, Secret Compass' front legs collapsed, slamming jockey John Velazquez hard into the dirt. The filly trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized after sustaining a lateral condylar fracture, according to on-call veterinarian Dr. Wayne McIlwraith.
''It is the worst type of injury we get, unfortunately,'' he said.
Velazquez was taken to the hospital, but there was no immediate update on his condition. He was set to ride in all nine Breeders' Cup races Saturday.
