Nine days after being disqualified out of a graded stakes
win with St Trinians in the Milady Handicap, trainer Mike Mitchell and jockey
Joe Talamo had the stewards’ decision go their way in the $100,000 Los Angeles
Handicap.
A Grade III at six furlongs over Cushion Track, the Los Angeles was run about
40 minutes before the Gamely.
Camp Victory, who was second, beaten a half-length, crossing
the finish line, was awarded the victory after original winner Amazombie was
disqualified and placed third for an incident in the stretch.
Rallying under jockey Mike Smith, Amazombie, who was
shooting for his third win in a row, lacked room behind horses, then angled out
under left handed urging, bumping with M One Rifle, who, then bumped with Camp Victory.
Stewards Scott Chaney, Kim Sawyer and Tom Ward ruled that
Amazombie “went for a hole without sufficient clearance’’, causing interference
to both M One Rifle and Camp
Victory and “costing both
horses a chance at a better placing.’’
Claimed for $40,000 by Mitchell for a partnership Feb. 13 at
Santa Anita, Camp Victory, who raced in blinkers for the first time in
the Los Angeles,
has won two of three for his current connections. His lone loss was by a nose
to favored Regally Ready in the grassy San Simeon Handicap April 16 in Arcadia.
The stakes win was the second in three days for Talamo, who
served the last of a three-day suspension Monday for the Milady
disqualification. Talamo, who won the American Handicap, a Grade II, Saturday
on 8-1 shot Ryehill Dreamer, was able to ride in both races because of their
graded designation.
The 8-1 fourth choice in a field reduced to six after the
scratch of Supreme Summit, Camp
Victory, a 4-year-old
gelded son of Forest Camp and the Clever Trick mare Victory Trick, returned $18.40, $7.40 and $3.80. The final
time was 1:08.87. Camp
Victory has won seven of
16 and earned $235,986.
M One Rifle paid $4.60 and $2.80. The show price on
Amazombie, the 2-1 second choice, was $2.60.
Completing the field were Indian Firewater, Cost of Freedom,
the 8-5 favorite who was seeking to become the second two time winner of the
Los Angeles Handicap, and Gato Go Win.
A winner of five of his previous 10 races over Cushion
Track, Cost of Freedom broke quickly from his outside post, was joined by
Indian Firewater on the inside, battled with that one most of the way, then
weakened in the final sixteenth.
“My horse did get affected a little bit when (Amazombie)
came out,’’ said Talamo, who also won the Los
Angeles in 2009 with Red Arrow. “He bumped (M One
Rifle) and then (M One Rifle) bumped mine pretty good.
“I really thought he was going to win turning for home. Then
he got bumped and shifted his weight a little bit. He was athletic enough to
pick himself up and get going again.
“I think it would really have been close if I wouldn’t have
gotten bumped. I felt he had a lot of momentum and then he got bumped sideways.
Talk to my agent (Scott McClellan) over there. He’s going to put me just on
stakes races from now on.’’
Smith offered no comment about the Los Angeles.
In Monday’s first race, jockey David Flores gained the 900th
win of his career at Hollywood
Park, directing 9-2 shot
Wake Me Now to a neck victory over 6-5 favorite Startjumpin Marnie.