Taptam roared to the rescue, sparing trainer Bret Calhoun a forgettable Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park.
The 6-year-old mare broke quickly from the gate and led the entire 11/16-mile distance to win the $100,000 Star of Texas Stakes. Until that moment, seven Calhoun-trained horses had run. Each failed to win. Calhoun, the Breeders’ Cup double winner, was at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds, but jockey Cliff Berry ensured that Calhoun and Taptam had the night’s biggest win.
Challenged early by Mile Marker and late by Quiet Again, Taptam withstood both efforts.
“I didn’t think we had it won until the finish,” Berry said. “This horse is a grinder. Even when horses came at us, I knew she’d keep grinding.”
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