Bruce Headley and Irwin and Andrew Molasky’s California homebred Cyclometer
took advantage of the short, three-horse field to win his first graded stakes in
Monday’s Grade 3, $92,000
Los
Angeles Handicap at Santa Anita. The Bruce Headley-trained six-year-old
horse was made the even-money favorite after Super Ninety Nine and Wild Dude
were scratched from the race.
Cyclometer had good early speed and dueled outside of Wine Police, who posted
an opening quarter in :21 2/5. Cyclometer took over heading into the turn and
would not relinquish the lead. Wine Police angled off the rail on the far turn
and attempted to run down the eventual winner, but would get no closer than a
length, as Cyclometer pulled away in the end to a 2 1/2-length victory.
“Before they scratched the four horse (Wild Dude) I was going to see how my
horse broke from the gate and take it from there,” jockey Edwin Maldonado said.
“When that horse scratched, it turned into a match race between me and the one
(Wine Police) so I just figured I would let him run the way he wanted.”
Cyclometer covered six furlongs over the fast main track in 1:09 and paid
$4.00 for his second stakes win. The chestnut has a career mark of 21-6-5-4 and
$417,004 in lifetime earnings.
Wine Police took second and was 10 3/4 lengths clear of Color of Courage, who
brought up the rear. Super Ninety Nine was scratched after posting a six-furlong
work over the track on Sunday, while Wild Dude was a late veterinarian scratch.
“I wish I could have been outside (of Cyclometer and Edwin Maldonado) because
it would have been easier to get position,” said Victor Espinoza, rider of
runner-up Wine Police. “He pressured me throughout the race so I decided to wait
and attack him in the end.
Cyclometer raced only once as a sophomore and broke his maiden over this
track in his first start as a four-year-old in February, 2012. He did not make
his stakes debut until he was a five-year-old and finished sixth in the Grade 1
Triple Bend Handicap over the Cushion track at the late Hollywood Park in June.
The son of Cyclotron captured his first stakes in the Midnight Lute at this
venue on January 4 and was off the board in the Donald Valpredo California Cup
Sprint Stakes for state-breds on January 25. He would finish ninth in the Grade
2 San Carlos Stakes on March 8 and was exiting a third-place finish in the Grade
2 Potrero Grande Stakes on April 12.
Cyclometer is out of the Eastern Echo mare Moana Loa. The chestnut’s grandam
is Grade 3-placed Out of the Bid and his female family also includes Grade 3
winner See Me Through.
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