Clyde D. Rice’s Less Than Perfect got the best of 3-2 favorite Bourbon Cowboy
by 2 1/4 lengths in Thursday’s $100,200
Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes under jockey Willie Martinez. The 6
1/2-furlong contest kicked off three straight stakes contests on closing day at
Presque Isle
Downs.
Trained by Kevin Rice and sent off the 9-1 fifth pick in the nine-juvenile
field, Less Than Perfect pressed the pacesetting Breakin the Fever through an
opening half-mile in :22 1/5 and :45. Bourbon Cowboy was stalking those two and
followed Less Than Perfect when the Pleasantly Perfect colt took command at the
head of the stretch.
What was shaping up to be a nice stretch duel fizzled out as Less Than
Perfect effortlessly drew off to stop the clock in 1:16 1/5 over the Tapeta. The
chestnut paid $20 for the win, his first since breaking his maiden in May over
the track.
Bourbon Cowboy was easily best of the rest, four lengths up on 71-1 longshot
Draw Night while Breakin the Fever finished another 4 3/4 lengths back in
fourth. Machination, Duff, Copper’s Crescent and Court’s Ruling completed the
order under the wire. Seraph refused to run at the break and walked off the
track. Adventurous Fox, Louisiana Brown, Pom Pom Pistol and Twisted Ginger all
scratched.
Prior to Thursday, Less Than Perfect had competed in four stakes since
breaking his maiden. He finished fifth in the Victoria and sixth in the Sanford,
ran third in a turf allowance at
Woodbine, then filled out the superfecta in both the Swynford and Summer at
that Canadian venue. With the Fitz Dixon now on his resume, the Florida-bred
colt boasts a 7-2-0-1 mark and more than doubled his career earnings to
$107,655.
Dianne Manning’s Miss Mischief lived up to her 8-5 favoritism with a 1
3/4-length score one race later in the $100,600
H.B.P.A.
Stakes.
Miss Mischief saved ground until the quarter-pole, then was angled out three
wide at the top of the stretch by jockey Antonio Gallardo. The Into Mischief
filly rallied down the lane to catch Awesome Flower and finish a mile and 70
yards on the Tapeta in 1:39.55, just missing the 1:39.04 track record set in
2009.
Miss Mischief rewarded her backers with $5.40 for earning just her second
stakes victory. Awesome Flower had 5 1/2 lengths to spare on third-placer Star
Pearl, and that pair was followed by Allanah, Uptown Gal, Cat’s Holiday, Vision
of Romance, Fighting Xena, Sheer Drama, Derby Eve and Remember Then. Femme
Fatale, Keystone Kelly and Ocean Bertie were withdrawn.
The Kentucky-bred Miss Mischief began her career with Tony Dutrow, was
transferred to Steven Asmussen after four starts and is now three-for-three
since taking up residence in trainer Dale Capuano’s shedrow. The four-year-old
bay improved her scorecard to 13-6-0-0, $258,800 with Thursday’s win.
Wrapping up the stakes action on Presque Isle Downs’ closing down was the
$75,500
Mrs. Henry D. Paxson Memorial Stakes for juvenile fillies. Raul Bahena’s
Happy to Go emulated Less Than Perfect from earlier on the card when prompting
the pace through the opening half-mile of :22 1/5 and :46 3/5, gaining control
and pulling off a two-length win.
The 7-5 favorite was ridden by Pablo Morales for trainer Armando De La Cerda,
and ran six furlongs on the Tapeta in 1:10 2/5. Happy to Go was worth $4.80 for
the score, her first since taking her maiden debut at
Arlington in late
May.
Chilly Start got the best of early leader Brennan by 1 1/2 lengths, while it
was a head back to Old Toy in fourth and a neck to Rockin Jojo in fifth.
Successful Brat came in last and Greygoose Miss was scratched.
Happy to Go is now 2-0-2 from five starts having banked $92,550. The bay
daughter of Saint Anddan followed her debut victory with a third in the My Dear
and fifth in the Ontario Debutante at Woodbine, and entered the Paxson Memorial
off a third-placing in the Arlington-Washington Lassie.
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