San Gabriel - Brisnet

Last updated: 1/1/05 8:57 PM

Truly a Judge has risen far since being claimed
(Benoit Photo)

Alan Aidekman, Gaylord Ailshie and Tom Harris’s TRULY A JUDGE (Judge T C)
took the lead on the far turn and resolutely maintained his advantage to the
wire to win Saturday’s $150,000 San
Gabriel H. (G3) at Santa Anita. Originally slated for the turf, the 1 1/8-mile
affair was run on the main track after nearly eight inches of rain fell locally. The contest was downgraded to a Grade 3 from its original Grade 2
status, pending a review from the American Graded Stakes Committee.

Forty Suertudo (Arg) (Roar) motored to the front out of the gate, closely followed
by Truly a Judge. The two battled through fractions of :22 2/5, :46 2/5 and 1:10
2/5 on a track labeled as wet fast, with the latter pulling ahead at the third
call. This was a lead that the David Bernstein charge would never relinquish, as
jockey Martin Pedroza resisted the charge of Star Cross (Arg) (Southern Halo) down the
stretch, clocking a mile in 1:35 4/5 and finishing the race in 1:48 4/5,
for a one-length score.

The seven-year-old gelding, who recorded his third straight victory after
easily winning an optional claimer in November and leading wire-to-wire in the
Native Diver H. (G3) in his previous outing, was claimed by his current
connections for $20,000 in 2001.

“This is the best horse I’ve ever claimed,” Bernstein said. “We’ll look at
the San Antonio (H. [G2] on February 6) and see where it takes us. He’s turned
into a hard-knocking horse. You put him on the lead and he’s tough to get by.”

Truly a Judge paid $3.20, $2.80 and $2.20 at 3-5 for his winning efforts.
Star Cross left the gate at 5-1 to give $4.40 and $2.60, three lengths back, on
the bottom end of a $13.40 exacta. Continental Red (Flying Continental) got up
for third by a nose at 7-2, and rounded out a $36.20 trifecta. Forty Suertoudo
held on to end the 2-4-1-10 superfecta that paid $109.80. Mud Shark (Deputy
Commander) and Sea to See (Al Mamoon) rounded out the order of finish following
the defections of Epicentre (Kris S.), Grafton (Rahy), Habaneros (Tabasco Cat)
and Lundy’s Liability (Brz) (Candy Stripes).

The victory gives Truly a Judge his 12th career win, with an overall mark of
42-12-7-8, and increases his payroll to $685,131. He was bred in Kentucky by Robert and Bea Roberts and
is out of stakes winner Truly Needy (Yukon). Truly a Judge counts himself as a
half-brother to an unnamed two-year-old filly by Real Quiet and an unnamed yearling
filly by Artax.