Easy wins characterize Texas Champions Day
Texas Champions Day at Sam Houston featured nine stakes
Saturday night and the evening was overrun with comfortable wins
for the victors. Of the nine events, only two were won by less
than 1 3/4 lengths, but the biggest score for trainer Steven
Asmussen came with EXPECT WILL (Valid Expectations) in the
$50,000 Groovy S.
Wearing the silks of Heiligbrodt Racing Stable, Donnie Meche
guided the bay juvenile colt to an easy 5 1/4-length score in the
seven-furlong test. That win gave Asmussen his 496th win this
season and tied him with the record set by Jack Van Berg in 1976.
Asmussen would go on to break the record at Delta Downs.
“Expect Will’s win was very special as the Heiligbrodt’s
have given our stable so much support,” Asmussen said.
Expect Will completed the sloppy track test in 1:24 4/5 and
now shows a line of 8-5-2-0 to go along with $239,942 in
earnings.
The stakes action started off in the 2ND race when Don Eberts’
COUNTRYFIDE (Confide) moved to the front at the half-mile marker
in the $50,000 Yellow Rose S. and drew clear for a 2 1/2-length
victory. With Lonnie Meche in the saddle, the Morris Nicks
trainee stopped the clock for three-quarters in 1:10 2/5. The
four-year-old miss was making her dirt stakes debut here and
improved her record to 11-6-1-1, $93,730.
Larry Taylor had the call on Paul Sutton and William Pettit’s
CHARMING SOCIALITE (Sunny’s Halo) in the $50,000 Spirit of Texas
S. and guided the sophomore to a 1 3/4-length win. Trained by
Pettit, the dark bay gelding finished six furlongs in 1:10 to
take his third stakes and pushed his line to 18-6-3-2, $144,210.
Peruvian Glass and More Inc.’s LATE EXPECTATIONS (Valid
Expectations) ran near the back throughout the $50,000 Richard
King H., but was in front when it mattered — at the wire. With
Edwin Maldonado-Alicea holding the reins, the three-year-old
gelding was a length clear in a time of 1:56 1/5 for nine
furlongs on the yielding turf. The Ricardo Morales trainee posted
his first stakes win and moved his line to 29-7-1-8 with $127,186
in earnings.
Stonerside Stable LLC’s NATIVE ANNIE (Manzotti) and Carlos
Marquez Jr. had their turn in the winner’s circle after a 1
3/4-length win in the $75,000 Martanza S. The Michael
Stidham-conditioned three-year-old filly went a mile in 1:37 3/5
and added another stakes to her record, which now stands at
11-6-0-1 with $270,450 in earnings.
The $150,000 Sam Houston Texan Juvenile S. went to John
Parker’s BOGGY CREEK (Menifee), who was pinched at the start of
the 1 1/16-mile test but rallied on the far turn to score by
three lengths at the wire. Giving Marquez his second straight win
on the evening, the dark bay colt earned his first black-type
credit while stopping the teletimer in 1:44 4/5 for trainer Kenny
McPeek. Boggy Creek moved his mark to three wins from five starts
to go along with $120,111 in earnings.
A timer malfunction in the $100,000 Star of Texas S. resulted
in the 8 1/2-furlong test being hand-timed, but that didn’t
matter to Wilton Scott’s GOOSEY MOOSE (Shaquin), who captured the
muddy event by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:43 3/5. Roman Chapa was aboard
the sophomore gelding, who now shows an 11-5-2-1, $167,520
lifetime line.
The last two stakes on the day were also hand-timed, with the
$50,000 Bara Lass S. going to the C.L. Nix owned and trained
SNIPPER LOU (Fiend). The dark bay juvenile miss had Jeffrey
Burningham in the irons and was three lengths clear at the wire
while earning her first stakes score. The final time was marked
at 1:25 2/5 for seven furlongs, and Snipper Lou now shows a
9-2-1-1 record and $56,995 in earnings.
MARFA’S TAXES (Marfa), owned by Jeffrey Kass and trained by R.
Paul Duhon, ended Texas Champions Day with the smallest margin
recorded on the day, coming in a half-length in front of her
nearest rival in the $50,000 San
Jacinto S. Corey Lanerie had the call on the seven-year-old
mare, who posted a time of 1:50 4/5 for 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Marfa’s Taxes earned her first black-type win in this one and
improved her mark to 38-9-9-2 to go along with earnings of
$161,864.