Photo: CDI
Jockey Corey Lanerie,
who won the 3,000th
race of his career earlier in the afternoon, completed a riding triple
Thursday at Fair Grounds by piloting William Butler et al’s
Harmonizer to a one-length tally in the featured $51,000 allowance optional claiming test as the ninth race of the day.
Unhurried
early, Harmonizer was guided to the outside of the field after being
set down for the drive and bested Lucas Downs Ltd’s pacesetting
King Mesa in the final furlong of the 1 1/16-mile test scheduled for the grass but transferred to the main track.
Harmonizer, trained by
Mike Maker, toured the
distance in 1:45.44, increased his career earnings to $159,130 with his
fifth victory in 16 lifetime starts and returned mutuels of $4.60, $3.20
and $2.10 as the choice of the fans.
King Mesa, who set early splits of 25.09 and 50.25, paid $6 and $2.80 and Ballis, Swinbank and Lewis’s
Join in the Dance paid $2.10 while finishing a head behind King Mesa in the third position.
Earlier in the day, Lanerie scored win number 3,000 on Robert and Lawana Low’s
Native Mambo for trainer Steve Margolis in the third race and captured the fifth aboard Sugarland Thoroughbreds’
My Cousins and Me for former jockey-turned trainer
Ray Sibille.