INGLEWOOD, Calif. (July 12, 2008) - Tyler Baze has had the week of a lifetime, getting married on Monday and returning to Hollywood Park to ride seven winners in the last three days, including a major upset aboard 11-1 shot Tres Borrachos in Saturday's $350,000 Swaps Stakes.
Baze completed a hat-trick on Saturday's card by giving Tres Borrachos a perfect trip in the Swaps as the son of Ecton Park finished strong along the rail to post a 1¼-length victory over second choice Two Step Salsa with odds-on favorite Colonel John another head back in third.
Tres Borrachos, trained by Beau Greely, finished third in the Arkansas Derby in April and then was a disappointing ninth in the Preakness in May. He returned west to finish second behind Two Step Salsa in the Affirmed Handicap on June 15, but was given little respect as the longest shot in the Swaps field, which was reduced to four with the scratches of Nownownow and Trevor's Clever.
Tres Borrachos, who paid $24 to win, was given a stalking trip behind pacesetter Two Step Salsa and Colonel John. He gained the lead on the rail on the turn for home and gradually pulled away in the final sixteenth while covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.29.
"It's like a dream riding this horse," said Baze, who married fiancé Christina Waugh in Pasadena. "It's a great feeling being able to finish the meet off with a nice stakes win like this. Ever since I got married, everything's been clicking. This week has been just awesome."
"This is just a special horse," he added. "He gave me my first Preakness ride. Today I had a perfect trip. Me and Beau (Greely) thought that Two Step Salsa was the horse to beat. We didn't know if we could, but he proved he was the best horse today. And he proved everybody wrong who never gave him a chance. Martin (Pedroza) was kind of worried about that outside horse (Colonel John), and he should have been, that was the horse to beat. "
The victory was the second in ten starts for Tres Borrachos, who banked $217,650 to raise his earnings to $398,270.
"He never gets any respect," Greely said. "He was 30-some-odd-to-one in the Arkansas Derby and ran a great race. We threw out the Preakness when he went down to his knees but he still fought on. He's a horse that clearly has got more heart than anything. Tyler did a wonderful job riding the rail today and he stuck with us throughout and it means a lot."
Two Step Salsa, winner of the Laz Barrera and Affirmed Handicap and unbeaten in four starts on the main track heading into the Swaps, had trouble at the break.
"He stumbled out of the gate and I think it got him a little confused," jockey Martin Pedroza said. "It cost me the race right there. Down the backstretch I still thought I had enough horse to win, but I think the start definitely cost me the race."
Colonel John, the Santa Anita Derby winner, challenged Two Step Salsa on the far turn, but never made the lead.
"I think he came up a little short," trainer Eoin Harty said. "He's been off a long time. I thought he was a little better than he probably was. He seems fine. He jockey Garrett Gomez) said he was moving fine."
