INGLEWOOD, Calif. (April 27, 2008) - Jockey Michael Baze completed a stakes hat-trick with a dramatic win aboard 33-1 shot Harlene in the $250,000 Cal National Snow Chief Stakes on Sunday at Hollywood Park.
The victory on the Doug O'Neill-trained 3-year-old came about three hours after Baze rode Mr. Wolverine in an upset of O'Neill's three-time Hollywood Gold Cup winner Lava Man in the $150,000 TVG Khaled Stakes. In between, the 21-year-old guided Spenditallbaby to victory in the $200,000 Melair Stakes on the ninth Cal National Gold Rush program for California-breds.
Harlene, a maiden entering the 1 1/8-mile race, was given a ground-saving ride along the rail by Baze. He came out slightly in mid-stretch when mounting his challenge, but Baze deftly shifted him back to the rail in the final yards and he prevailed by a neck over Dewey's Special.
The victory by Harlene was one of several upsets on the program, resulting in a Pick Six carryover of $555,186 when racing resumes Wednesday at Hollywood Park. He returned $69.80 for a $2 win wager.
"The horse broke clean and we got to sit back there in mid-pack, letting him relax and get his stride under him," Baze said. "Come time to run, I was on the inside and I wasn't sure with so many horses that he could get through. But as horses came out for room, I was able to come through every time."
The victory, worth $150,000, boosted Harlene's earnings to $188,560. In six previous starts, he had three thirds.
"That was truly unbelievable," said O'Neill, who also saddled third-place finisher One Chin Again. "He's always trained like a horse that the distance wouldn't be a problem. And, though it was a little ambitious to run a maiden against winners, it was restricted to Cal-breds, it was 3-year-olds only - we thought we'd take a chance. That's the beauty of this game - you take a chance, and every now and then, you can have a moment like that."
Jose Valdivia Jr., the jockey on Dewey's Special, thought he was home.
"He ran too good to lose," Valdivia said. "I had the best trip of them all. He may have pulled himself up, that's what it felt like because even on the gallop he was in front."
In the Khaled, Baze put Mr. Wolverine in perfect stalking position as defending champion Epic Power set the fractions with 2006 winner Lava Man on his flank.
Lava Man, making his first start in six months, tired in the stretch and finished third in the 1 1/8-mile test on turf, while Mr. Wolverine finished strongly to beat Epic Power by 1 ¾ lengths. Lava Man was about 2 ½ lengths back of the winner, who was clocked in 1:48.51.
"The race set up perfect," Baze said. "Those two were just killing each other while we were sitting third outside. I just let him break and get his feet under him, and when it came time to run, he said: 'Here we go.'"
Lava Man - the third-leading California-bred of all-time with earnings of $5,232,706 - had not started since Nov 3. at Oak Tree. His last victory came when he won the Gold Cup for the third straight year in 2007 and his connections are hoping the popular 7-year-old gelding earns a chance at a fourth try.
"Corey had him in a great spot and he ran well - the No. 2 horse (Mr. Wolverine) just ran huge," O'Neill said. "I would have loved to have seen him get by the three-horse (Epic Power), but that one ran big as well. We'll just go over him good and see how it all plays out here.
"We'll have to kind of see how he comes out of it and evaluate him then," O'Neill added. "It's kind of hard to tell, but obviously we were expecting a win, so we're a little disappointed. But as long as he's fine in the morning, we can battle another race. I thought he looked dynamite early on. He just got a little bit tired."
In the other major stakes on the Gold Rush program:
Spenditallbaby set a stakes record of 1:21.04 en route to a one-length victory over favorite Tiz Elemental in the seven-furlong B. Thoughtful. The Barry Abrams-trained filly paid $27 as the longest price in the six-horse field.
Bel Air Sizzle got the victory in the $200,000 Melair when first-place finisher Gambler's Justice was disqualified for interfering with favorite Final Fling in the stretch. The victory was the second on the card for Abrams, who had intended to enter Lethal Heat in the race. A mix-up at entry-time resulted in Bel Air Sizzle running in the Melair just three days after winning an allowance race here.
Garrett Gomez rode Tutta Bella to victory by a neck over Comedy Girl in the $150,000 Fran's Valentine Stakes as odds-on favorite Tiz a Blend finished fourth. The victory was the second in the race for Gomez and trainer John Sadler.
Stella Mark rallied under Brice Blanc to score a $27.60 upset in the $150,000 Tiznow Stakes, the first stakes win for Blanc at Hollywood Park since 2002. The 4-year-old has won three of four races since being claimed by Jeffrey Sengara and trainer Ted West in January.
Cal National Gold Rush IX Equibase charts.
