Fantastic
Pick, the longest shot in the field at 22-1, edged pacesetter Blue Panis after
an eighth of a mile long battle to win the $150,000 Oak Tree Derby Saturday at Hollywood Park.
The
biggest surprise in the 41-year history of the Derby was one of a handful of Saturday
upsets, so there will be a Pick Six carryover of $96,568 when racing resumes
Sunday.
Post
time is 1 p.m. The Pick Six, which has carried over three times in the last
five racing days, begins in the fourth race.
Trained
by Jamie Lloyd for owners Jim Ford, Robert Maycock and Ken Smole,
Fantastic Pick, a 3-year-old Fantastic Light gelding out of the Mtoto
mare Umlilo, earned the most significant win of his career in the Grade II. It
was also the first graded stakes victory for his trainer.
Providing
jockey Corey Nakatani with his initial score in the race, Fantastic Pick, who
won by a head, ran the 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:48.51. The victory was the
third in the last four starts – all since adding blinkers - for the English
bred. Overall, he’s captured five of 15 and earned $191,773.
In
a race devoid of pace, Blue Panis, a French bred making his United States
debut after winning three times in his native land, made the lead under Joe
Talamo with Fantastic Pick his closest pursuer.
In
his first start beyond a mile, Blue Panis got away with slow fractions (24.22,
49.21 and 1:13.24 for six furlongs) and fought hard all the way to the finish,
but had to settle for second.
Kid
Edward, the 5-2 second choice, was a half-length behind Blue Panis in third.
Sebastian Flyte, an 8-1 shot, was a neck back in fourth. Haimish Hy, Jairzinho,
Royal F J and Make Music for Me, the 2-1 choice in his first race since he was
10th in the Belmont Stakes on June 5, completed the order of finish.
Fantastic
Pick, who has been the betting favorite only once in eight starts in this
country, returned $46.20, $16.80 and $9.40. Blue Panis paid $7 and $4.20. The
show price on Kid Edward was $3.60.
“In
the stretch, I knew it was going to be a two horse race,’’ said Nakatani after
his first graded stakes win at Oak Tree since he won the Sen. Ken Maddy
Handicap aboard Dancing Edie on Sept. 26, 2007. “I was just trying to bide my
time as long as I could because I wanted somebody to run with me to keep him
focused.
“Jamie
gave me some good insight into the horse and we’ve been pretty lucky
together.’’