Perfect would have been racing both days, but the alternative, 10 races on Sunday, provided for a full card of racing that turned out better in a number of dimensions than it might have. The overnight monsoon stopped, morning produced a mix of broken clouds, sunshine and wind that quickly dried out the track, providing a fair and safe surface for ten different winning horses, although there were only six winning jockeys as four of them posted riding doubles.
The crowd may not have been the same throng that opening day saw, but it was pretty good and the handle of almost $835,000 was on a par with the opening, even if it took two more races to get there. There were three high quality races on the card, two Maiden Special Weights and an open $25,000 claimer. Let us start with the Maiden Special Weights.
Omi, Oh My
Omi ($9.80) won the fillies’ version of the two Maiden Special Weights that were offered by rather easily discouraging favored Awesome Love going down the backstretch and opening up a lead that was never even remotely at risk. She covered the 6 furlongs in 1:11.90 under rider Richard Hamel for trainer Dino Condilenios. Donttellmyhusband and Estalado ran on decently to be second and third, but they were the kind of seconds and thirds that are more significant to the owners’ purse accounts than they are to the outcome of the race. It was Richard Hamel’s second win on the day.
Omi was bred in British Columbia by Tod Mtn. Thoroughbreds (BC) and is owned by Swift Thoroughbreds. She is by Rosberg out of Groovy Minister, a Deputy Minister mare that has not produced a stakes winner (yet) but has thrown 3 horses that have won over a 100K apiece and one that is closing on a quarter-million. Based on the way Omi won today, the mare may have a stakes-winner in the pipeline.
Torniador, The Ninth Time Is The Charm
Torniador ($4.70) came into the boy’s edition of the brace of Maiden Specials with five seconds and two thirds in eight starts with one of the seconds being in the CTHS Sales Stake as a three-year-old. He is no longer a maiden following a convincing win under jockey Jose Asencio whose apprentice status got seven pounds off Torniador as a four-year-old against a field of three-year-olds. The winner’s 6 furlong time of 1:12.25 was almost two lengths slower than the three-year-old filly Omi ran a couple of races earlier, but it was good for a definitive margin nonetheless. Good as They Get closed well to be second and the 31-1 longshot Liquid Metal ran large in his first outing while having to contend with the very experienced winner on the front end. But it was Torniador’s day and race. It was the second win on the card for Asencio who rode for trainer Milton Palma.
Torniador was bred in British Columbia by James Barry Doud and is owned by trainer Palma and Ernesto Rojas and Geovani Olade. He is by Skimming and is still correctly referred to as a colt.
Uncle Willard In A Thriller
The nightcap was an open $25,000 claimer for three-and-ups that was won by Uncle Willard ($36.50) who prevailed by a neck over pace-setting Richter Red after the two of them waged war down the lane in the fastest race of the day, a 6 furlong sprint that took 1:11.16 to complete. Wilo Kat ran on late to be third some five lengths behind the first two.
Uncle Willard is a son of Skimming and was bred in British Columbia by his owner Les Hoggard. Antonio Reyes did the saddle-work for trainer Craig MacPherson and completed a riding double in the process.
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