At the top of the stretch in Saturday’s $100,000
Thunder Road H. (G3) at Santa Anita, trainer Humberto Ascanio must have
sensed that he was about to snap his prolonged 46-race losing skid. His 3-1
favorite Proudinsky (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]) was still full of run on the lead, and
the biggest danger was his other entrant, Patricia Bozano’s FLUKE (Brz) (Wild
Event), the 3-1 second choice. Proudinsky had given Ascanio his last win, in the
San Gabriel H. (G2) on December 27, 2009, and tried mightily to get him back in
the winner’s circle, but he could not hold off his stablemate. Overpowering
Proudinsky in the waning yards, Fluke spearheaded a one-two finish for his
trainer.
“Both horses have been running good, but not good enough to win,” Ascanio
said. “I didn’t think Proudinsky would be in front, but he was, and he ran good.
I liked both of them. I thought either one could win. It’s been a rough go, but
it’s over, so we’ll look forward to more wins.”
The winner of the 2009 Citation H. (G1) in his first start for Ascanio, who
succeeded his mentor Bobby Frankel, Fluke endured a bout of seconditis in all
three subsequent starts. He was just nailed on the wire by Proviso (GB) in the
Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) last March, and went down by a half-length in the
Arcadia H. (G2) four weeks later. Sidelined until a November 27 allowance at
Hollywood Park, he finished runner-up to Jeranimo (Congaree), who came right
back to impress in the San Gabriel next time out — at the expense of Proudinsky.
Things finally fell into place for Fluke in the Thunder Road, possibly setting
him up for another crack at the Kilroe on March 5.
Proudinsky set a contested pace under relentless pressure from Colgan’s Chip
(Cee’s Tizzy), just keeping his head in front through splits of :22 4/5 and :46
2/5. When reaching six furlongs in 1:10, Proudinsky started to pull away, and he
opened up from his pursuers at the head of the lane. Fluke, who had been settled
in midpack by regular rider Joe Talamo, commenced his bid turning for home. The
stalking Meteore (Pulpit) was still in the hunt on the rail, and the
late-running Victor’s Cry (Street Cry [Ire]) was gathering steam too. Neither
was doing enough to threaten Proudinsky, but Fluke certainly was.
Closing boldly down the outside, Fluke collared Proudinsky and won going away
by three-quarters of a length, blitzing one mile on the firm turf in 1:33 3/5.
The winner furnished mutuels of $8.60, $3.60 and $2.40.
“We had a perfect trip,” Talamo recapped. “I thought we’d be laying second,
but it worked out better this way. This horse is better with a target. Sometimes
when he gets to the lead too early he throws his ears up and loses focus. He was
just perfect today.”
“He (Proudinsky) ran a great race,” jockey Patrick Valenzuela said. “I didn’t
want to be on the lead, but that’s where I ended up. He was a little fresh
today. He kicked when I asked him, but he just couldn’t outrun his stablemate. I
hope next time I beat him.”
Proudinsky salvaged second by the same margin from Victor’s Cry, who was in
turn a neck up on Meteore. Blue Chagall (Fr) (Testa Rossa), Dakota Phone (Zavata),
Colgan’s Chip, Skyrush (Arg) (Orpen) and Jazzman’s Dance (Jambalaya Jazz)
rounded out the order under the wire.
Fluke’s third stakes success advanced his record to 15-6-6-0, $457,948. He
opened his career in Brazil with two dominating victories, including a 4
1/2-length score in the Grande Premio Mario de Azevedo Ribeiro (Brz-G3). After
his runner-up effort in the 2008 Grande Premio Juliano Martins (Brz-G1), Fluke
was imported to the United States. He garnered an allowance/optional claimer
second time out for Frankel, but flopped in his North American stakes bow when
retreating to fifth in the 2009 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland. Fluke was
given more time to develop in the optional claiming ranks in his next four
outings, and responded with a dynamic 3 1/4-length tally at Belmont in September
2009. That effort punched his ticket to the Citation, where he posted an
emotional 1 1/4-length score just 11 days after Frankel’s death.
Fluke was bred by Haras Doce Vale in Brazil. The six-year-old dark bay is a
full brother to current Brazilian stakes victress Hunka Hunka and a half-brother
to current Brazilian Group 3 winner Gugu Dada (Our Emblem). His dam, Uff-Uff (De
Quest), is a half-sister to Brazilian champion two-year-old colt Cagney (Brz)
(Roy), who went on to land the Carleton F. Burke H. (G3) at Santa Anita;
Brazilian Group 2 winners Malmedy (Un Etendard) and Nineties (Clackson); and
Brazilian stakes winner On the Edge (Ghadeer). Fluke’s second dam is Brazilian
Group 2 heroine Donnegalle (Campero).