Master Rick
stretches win streak to three in Lone Star Park Handicap
Master Rick made his move
leaving the far turn, overhauling stablemate Prayer for Relief en route to a
comfortable one-length victory in Monday’s Grade 3, $300,000
Lone Star
Park Handicap.
The four-year-old defeated the
same rival when capturing the Texas Mile on April 27 and has now won three
straight for Steve Asmussen, who also conditions the runner-up.
With regular rider Ricardo
Santana Jr., Master Rick dropped back and stalked the front runners in third as
Isn’t He Clever hustled out of the starting gate. Prayer for Relief chased in
second as the pacesetter established splits in :24, :47 1/5 and 1:10 4/5.
Prayer for Relief took the
lead between calls approaching the conclusion of the far turn but proved no
match when challenged by Master Rick, who accelerated to a clear lead in
midstretch. He went on to complete 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 on the fast track.
With no show wagering in the
four-horse field, the winner returned payouts of $4.20 and $2.20 as the
even-money favorite.
Prayer for Relief was 14 1/2
lengths clear as the 6-5 second choice. Formaggio and Isn’t He Clever rounded
out the order of finish and Battle Hardened was scratched.
By Master Command, Master Rick
captured his black-type debut little over a year ago on April 14 in the Northern
Spur at Oaklawn Park. Following his stakes score he went unplaced against graded
company in the Peter Pan and Matt Winn in his next two starts.
The gray colt recorded a
third-place in the Super Derby last September and a second-place finish in the
Zia Park Derby in December. He posted an allowance win at Oaklawn Park in
February before notching his first graded tally in the Texas Mile.
Bred by English Ranch Farm in
Florida, Master Rick is out of the Maria’s Mon mare Whata Gem. His third dam is
the Grade 2-placed stakes scorer Little Happiness. His female family also
includes multiple Group 1 winner A Little Kiss, multiple Grade 1 victor Life’s
Hope and Hong Kong champion Able One.
Master Rick was initially sold for
$30,000 as an OBS August yearling and then sold again for $47,000 as an OBS
April two-year-old in training. He’s now earned $547,113 from a 17-5-1-2 career
ledger.
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