Mensa Heat takes On Trust; Hess and Gomez record milestone
wins
by Brisnet.com
Mensa Heat rebounded from a poor effort
The 1 1/2-length victory over 18-1 longshot Legal Separation and five other fellow
Now owning a 9-7-6 mark from 41 starts, Mensa Heat, who was ridden by Joe Talamo, increased
Following the race, West revealed the likely reason for Mensa Heat’s lackluster performance in
“He had some very bad ulcers two months ago and you just don’t know how fast
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“He colicked a bit about five days before his last race then cleaned up (his
feed) after that, but I think it was a little warning that something deeper was
going on. He didn’t eat at all the night of the race (California Cup Sprint) and
the days after, so we scoped his stomach and found the ulcers.”
Mensa Heat ran 7 1/2 furlongs over the Cushion
Track in 1:28 3/5 on Sunday, paying $7.40, $4.80 and $3.40 as the 5-2 second choice.
“He tipped his hand in the paddock,” West said. “He just looked great and his attitude was
really good. We have a lot of options with him because he likes turf, dirt and
synthetic.”
The final day of the meet featured a record-shattering Player’s Pick 5 pool.
Chasing a record carryover of $183,594 generated during the CashCall Futurity
program Saturday, bettors wagered an additional $1,226,324 Sunday, creating a
total pool of $1,409,917. The previous high total Pick 5 pool was $907,117,
recording on May 12. This followed a
carryover of $107,487 on May 8.
There were 635 winning tickets in the Player’s Pick 5 Sunday. Each was worth
$1,948.25
The Pick 5 wasn’t the only record set on closing day as jockey Garrett Gomez and trainer Bob Hess Jr. both reached personal
milestones when they teamed with So Tempted to win the 1ST race. The victory was the 1,000th for Hess, 46, in his career and the 500th win at
Hollywood Park for Gomez.
Hess, who has won 335 races at Hollywood Park, collected his first as a
Three races later, English-born trainer Dan Blacker earned the first win of
While Blacker was just beginning his career Sunday, Mike Mitchell
“It was just a great way to wrap up things,” Mitchell said Sunday as he took
“It’s been such a terrific year, I wouldn’t have been sad if I didn’t win the
“New clients and old clients,” said Mitchell, not overlooking those who have
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Mitchell won his third Autumn meet crown but first since 1996. He has also
led the Spring/Summer meet standings four times.
O’Neill sent out one winner on Sunday to conclude the meet, giving him sole
ownership of second-place with 16 wins over Baffert’s 15.
Jockeys Joel Rosario and Rafael Bejarano battled it out on the final day for
the jockey title, with each piloting home two winners. That was good enough for
Rosario to claim the crown with 37 wins to Bejarano’s 33.
Rosario, a 26-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, earned his third
straight Autumn crown and sixth in a row at Hollywood Park, including the last
three Spring/Summer titles. The marks are the best since retired Hall of Famer Chris McCarron won five
straight Autumn championships from 1981-85 and nine Hollywood Park titles
overall from 1980-84.
Rosario wrapped up his fourth victory in five stops on the major Southern
California circuit this year and 10th in 14 during the past three years.
“It means a lot to my career,” Rosario said Sunday. “I’m just happy to be
working every day and to be here at Hollywood Park, one of the greatest tracks
in America.”
Rosario credited agent Ron Ebanks for putting him on winners that have
generated more than $15-million in purse earnings for the year.
“We’re riding for everybody and especially John Sadler,” said Rosario, giving
special thanks to the trainer who has put him on many of his winners.