ROUNDUP: EASY VICTORY FOR AVANZADO.Byline: Jerry Antonucci Special to the Daily News Avanzado led from start to finish to win the $150,000 Palos Verdes Handicap The Palos Verdes Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses held at Santa Anita Park, USA, each year. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race six furlongs on the dirt. It carries a purse of $150,000. by 4 1/2 lengths Sunday at Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Currently, Kona Gold is a stable pony for former trainer Bruce Headley. finishing last. After 9-year-old Kona Gold won the El Conejo Handicap The El Conejo Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses run each year at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Open to horses of either gender, four year olds and upwards, willing to race five and a half furlongs on the dirt. A Grade III event, it offers a purse of $100,000. on New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. by a neck, trainer Bruce Headley indicated the old warrior might have lost a step or two, but not his heart. Kona Gold, toting the top weight of 124 pounds including jockey Alex Solis, couldn't accelerate when it counted. It was the first time during his 28-race career that Kona Gold failed to beat a horse, and only the second time in 14 lifetime races at Santa Anita that he hadn't been first, or second. ``The weight and his age are all catching up to him,'' Solis said. ``I think they should be giving him weight now because he's an old man. He really got tired the last one-sixteenth.'' While Kona Gold was backpedaling down the stretch, 6-year-old Avanzado was drawing away from his five rivals, winning by 4 1/2 lengths over fast-closing Mellow Fellow in a sizzling siz·zle intr.v. siz·zled, siz·zling, siz·zles 1. To make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat. 2. To seethe with anger or indignation. 3. time of 1:07.85 for the 6 furlongs. Avanzado, an import from Argentina, won his first three races in the United States during the summer and fall before running a poor one at Laurel in Maryland over a sloppy track in November. In the El Conejo - the race won by Kona Gold - Avanzado was fanned four wide the entire journey and wound up sixth. But for Sunday's race, Avanzado, ridden by Tyler Baze, was equipped with blinkers blinkers 1. rigid pieces of leather fitted to a head harness at a point where they will obstruct the horse's lateral vision. 2. a more sophisticated piece of harness worn by expensive horses consisting of a canvas head-covering with holes for the ears to protrude and two for the first time and his focus away from the starting gate was immediately apparent. Baze sent Avanzado for the lead, and he quickly opened up a 1 1/2 length advantage on Disturbingthepeace as he cruised through sparkling fractions of 21.52, 43.81 and 55.58. At the top of the stretch, Disturbingthepeace, making his first start since finishing seventh in the Breeders Cup Sprint at Arlington Park last October, began to shorten stride as Avanzado drew away. Disturbingthepeace faded to third, beaten a half-length for the place by Mellow Fellow. ``He was screwing around his last couple of races and the trainer (Doug O'Neill) and I discussed trying blinkers,'' Baze said. ``The way he broke today, obviously the blinkers worked.'' Avanzado paid $15, $7.20 and $5.20 and earned $90,00 for his ninth victory from 21 races. Mayakovsky, 11th after setting the pace in the Sunshine Millions Turf The Sunshine Millions Turf is a race for thoroughbred horses held in January at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California or at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Half the eight races of the Sunshine Millions are run at one track and half at the other. , suffered deep cuts to the hock hock: see wine. and tendon on his right hind leg and will miss at least two or three weeks of training, according to trainer Patrick Biancone. ``If (the injury) was another half an inch left, or right, it would have cut his tendon,'' Biancone said. ``He's lucky to be alive. He should recover, but we need to be careful about infection.'' --California wins in weather: Although the point system saw Florida-breds trounce the California-breds 56-16 in the inaugural Sunshine Millions on Saturday, Southern California easily defeated South Florida in the climate department. Santa Anita fans wore tank tops in mid-80-degree weather, while Gulfstream Park patrons donned sweaters as the thermometer dipped into the low 60s. --Stevens ready to return: Jockey Gary Stevens, who has working on the motion picture ``Seabiscuit: An American Legend'' since October, is expected to resume his riding career in mid-February, according to agent Craig O'Bryan. --Cyber Secret beats Xtra Heart: Cyber Secret defeated Xtra Heart by a length in the $82,500 Busanda Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Cyber Secret, ridden by Jean-Luc Samyn, covered 1 mile, 70 yards in 1:41 4/5 and paid $5.50, $3.70 and $3.50 for her second win in four career starts. Xtra Heart returned $6.70 and $4.80, and Marc's Rainbow paid $7.40 to show. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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