Trainer John
Sadler had Santa Anita’s $64,050 Fools Rush In Purse surrounded on
Thursday when his gritty Carbonite edged favored stablemate Pressday by a neck
in the 6 ½ furlong event over the track’s hillside turf course.
Sent off at odds of 3-1 with Victor Espinoza in the
saddle, Carbonite tracked the early pace before taking the lead entering the
stretch and had enough left at the wire to repel the outside bid of the
well-fancied Australian import in 1:12.83.
“I had a great trip,” Espinoza said
after dismounting from the 6-year-old gelding. “He’s a tough little
horse. I had to get after him, though, because he’s so laid back.”
It was the 10th win in 20 races for Carbonite, who has run second
just once.
His determination was enough to mar the U.S. debut of Pressday, a multiple Group I
winner in Australia
where the 5-year-old bay had earned $746,959 while winning 5 of 13 races.
Pressday was bet down to odds of 3-2. “It was his first time in this
country,” jockey Joel Rosario commented afterward. “He ran well.”
It was another half-length back to third-place
finisher Leroy’s Dynameaux, with Rafael Bejarano aboard, in the field of
eight. Carbonite paid $8, $4 and $2.40. The mutuels on Pressday were $3.60 and
$2.40. Leroy’s Dynameaux paid $2.60 to show.
While building his overall record to 10-1-3 in his
20th start, Carbonite earned $40,000 for Anthony J. Chacon and Paul
Mangini Jr. to bring his career earnings to $332,137.