Three-year-old filly Excessive Blend makes impressive debut

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One of my favorite race horses was Nashoba’s Key, an amazing filly (pictured at right with jockey Garrett Gomez) who died tragically last year in an accident. Now the connections who ran Nashoba’s Key -- trainer Carla Gaines and owner Warren B. Williamson -- unveiled another talented 3-year-old filly on Sunday in the seventh race at Santa Anita, and what a debut it was.

Excessive Blend broke slowly at the start of the six-furlong race but ended up rallying and winning by 4 1/2 lengths. She’s a daughter of In Excess out of Blending Element, making her a half-sister to stakes winners Tiz Elemental and Tiz a Blend.

Her connections think she has a chance to be something special. Don’t laugh, but maybe she’ll be good enough to challenge Stardom Bound by the end of the year.

-- Eric Sondheimer