Santa Anita H. (G1) hero LAVA MAN (Slew City Slew) moved his 2006 record to a
perfect three-for-three with a dominating victory in Sunday’s $150,000
Khaled S.
on Gold Rush Day at Hollywood Park. With Corey Nakatani aboard, the Doug O’Neill
charge pressed the early pacesetter Skywalker Red (Skywalker) through the
first two splits of :23 1/5 and :46 2/5, but circled that one to take charge by
the time six furlongs had been reached in 1:09 1/5. From there, it was just a
question of how much he would win by, as Lava Man cruised over the firm turf to
a 5 1/4-length score.
The dark bay five-year-old set a new course record of 1:44 1/5 while
finishing the 1 1/8-mile event as the 3-5 favorite, returning $3.40, $2.80 and
$2.10. Cheroot (Smokester) ran in third in the early going, but managed to get
his nose down on the wire to deny the rallying Super Strut (Lil Tyler) runner-up
honors, paying $6 and $2.80 at 8-1 while ending the $11.50 exacta ($1). Show
gave back $2.20 at 5-1 while finishing out the $33.60 trifecta ($1). Jack’s Wild
(Lil Tyler) was another 2 1/2 lengths back in fourth to complete the $169.70
superfecta ($1) (8-1-2-7). Skywalker Red came next and was followed by Top This
and That (Old Topper), Orbits World (Unusual Heat) and Lil Mitch (Lil Tyler)
after Legal Logic (Bertrando) was withdrawn.
Lava Man, owned by STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood, captured the Hollywood
Gold Cup H. (G1) and Californian
S. (G2) last year before
running a close third in the Pacific Classic (G1). He rounded out the year with
off-the-board finishes in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and Japan Cup Dirt
(Jpn-G1), but returned to the winner’s circle in his first start of 2006, the
Sunshine Millions Classic S. Prior to Sunday’s victory, Lava Man won the Big ‘Cap
by three parts of a length, and now owns a 30-10-7-3 career mark (10-4-3-0 on
the turf) with $2,274,706 in lifetime earnings.
If Lava Man had been eligible to race in the featured $250,000
Snow
Chief S. for sophomores, he might not have had a really easy time of it based on
DA STOOPS’ (Distorted Humor) easy 5 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile event.
The Bob Baffert-trained dark bay, with Victor Espinoza in the saddle sporting
the silks of owner Watson and Weitman Performances LLC, tracked the pacesetter
from the start before taking over in the stretch and pulling off to finish the
race in 1:49 2/5. Da Stoops also competed on Sunshine Millions Day, taking the
Sunshine Millions Dash S. by 7 1/2 lengths and was stretching out past a mile for
the first time here. His record now reads 11-4-4-2 and he’s accumulated $486,950
in lifetime earnings.
C R K Stable’s SHE’S AN ELEVEN (In Excess [Ire]) entered the $200,000
Melair S.
after breaking her maiden in her prior start in her fifth try. That didn’t deter
the sophomore miss, who raced near the rear of the 1 1/16-mile test under Garrett
Gomez, as she came out three wide into the stretch before powering away for the
convincing 9 1/4-length score. Sent off the 8-5 choice, the John Sadler
trainee stopped the clock in 1:42 4/5 to more than double her earnings to
$199,950 and improve her line to 6-2-3-1.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod’s homebred PROPOSED (Benchmark) earned her second
win of the year with a three-length score in the $150,000
B.
Thoughtful S. under Pat Valenzuela. The John Shirreffs-trained four-year-old
was sent off the 2-5 favorite in the six-horse field, finishing seven furlongs
on the main track in 1:21 1/5 and pushing her record to 12-6-2-2, $435,200.
Proposed captured the El Encino S. (G2) earlier this year and also posted a
second in the Santa Maria H. (G1) in mid-February.
MEMORETTE (Memo [Chi]), racing in the colors of owner Betty Currin, rallied
after racing near the back of the pack in the $150,000
Fran’s Valentine S., getting her neck down on the line for the victory.
Trained by Bill Currin and ridden by Alex Solis, the dark bay miss ran 1 1/16
miles on the green in 1:39 2/5, garnering the second stakes victory of her
career and moving her mark to 17-3-5-4 with $527,073 in career earnings.
Harris Farms Inc.’s homebred LUCKY J. H. (Cee’s Tizzy) finished just a half-length
back in second during last year’s Snow Chief S. on Gold Rush Day, and didn’t
race again until taking a February 20 Santa Anita allowance last out
by four lengths in gate-to-wire fashion. The Carla Gaines charge utilized
different tactics on Sunday, rallying from off the pace as the 7-5 favorite in
the $150,000
Tiznow S.
to score the head victory under Victor Espinoza. The bay four-year-old colt
added a first black-type win to his record, which now stands at 10-4-2-1 with
$270,435 in lifetime earnings.
Other winners on the day included SWISS ADDRESS (Swiss Yodeler), who captured
the $70,000
Barretts
S. by 1 1/2 lengths; PROUDEST MOMENT (Proud Irish), a 2 1/2-length victress in the $70,000
Warren’s
Thoroughbreds S.; TYROLEAN EMPRESS (Swiss Yodeler), who broke her maiden
by a length in the $60,000
Magali
Farms S.
for maiden fillies and mares; and BOOCFUSS (Bertrando), a nose victor in
the $60,000
Pepper
Oaks Farm S. for maiden males.