Reunited
with jockey Joel Rosario and taking full advantage of a quick pace, Leroy’s
Dynameaux finished strongly to win the $100,000 Will Rogers Stakes on Sunday at
Hollywood Park.
Dismissed
at 13-1 in his debut in a graded race, the 3-year-old son of Leroidesanimaux
and the Dynaformer mare Dyna
Peak
overhauled pacesetter Macias in the final sixteenth, then withstood the late
surge of 7-5 favorite Bogie.
The
upset in the day’s main event was one of several in the Pick Six, so there will
be a carryover of $136,973 when racing resumes Wednesday. Post time is 1 p.m.
and the Pick Six begins in the third race.
There
is also a carryover for Wednesday in the Super High 5, which is offered in the
day’s final race. The carryover is $40,062.
Owned
by breeder Ellenay Racing Inc. and trained by Mark Glatt, Leroy’s Dynameaux won
for the second time in four starts, all on turf. The $60,000 payday pushed his
earnings to $102,800.
Extremely
wide while beginning his rally around the final turn, Leroy’s Dynameaux is
2-for-3 in tandem with Rosario.
The gelding has yet to finish off the board.
After
winning at first asking at about 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita on March 26,
Leroy’s Dynameaux finished second at the same distance over the course in an
optional claimer on April 15.
Shipped
to Golden Gate Fields, he finished third, beaten three-quarters of a length, in
the Alcatraz
– at the Will Rogers distance - on May 15.
In
winning by a neck, Leroy’s Dynameaux ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.43. This was
the first time the Rogers,
which was absent from the Hollywood
Park
stakes schedule in 2009, had been run at 1 1/16 miles since 1994. The previous
14 renewals had been at one mile.
“We
got the pace scenario that we expected,’’ said Glatt. “I’m kind of surprised he
went off at such a big mutuel because the horse ran extremely well at Golden Gate. He was
moved way prematurely and it was his first time around two turns.
“He
had to improve. Whether that would be good enough to win this race remained to
be seen. I had a lot of confidence going into the race. The thing is, he
doesn’t want to get beat. Other horses may be more talented than him, but he
wants to get it and and that will win a lot of these races.’’
Leroy’s
Dynameaux paid $29.20, $10 and $6. Bogie returned $3.60 and $2.60. The show
price on Macias, who was used from his outside post to gain the lead before
entering the backsretch, was $3.20. Macias, who finished a half-length behind
Bogie, had a 2 ½ length advantage after a 45.71 half mile and 1 ½ lengths after
six furlongs in 1:10.12.
“I
wasn’t that confident during the race because on the first turn he was trying
to get out,’’ said Rosario
of the winner. “Coming to the five-sixteenths he just moved and the other
horses were slowing down and I took it from there.’’
Hudson
Landing, who had won three in a row at Golden Gate, including the Alcatraz,
finished fourth in the Will Rogers, then came Dream Nettie, Camp Victory,
Who’s Up and Ukandoit.