Photo: Hollywood Park
U
R All That I Am made a successful debut around two turns, winning the $62,400
Fran’s Valentine on Sunday at Hollywood Park.
Trained
by Jerry Hollendorfer for owner-breeder Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC, the
4-year-old Valid Wager filly out of the Fort
Calgary
mare Fort
Silver
earned her second stakes victory of the meet.
On
April 24, U R All That I Am captured one of the California Gold Rush events,
taking the $147,000 B. Thoughtful on Cushion Track by a half-length over
Ruffled Feathers.
Stretching
out and switching to turf, the 2-1 second choice tracked the pace set by Woman
Warrior, bid outside that one early in the stretch, then kicked clear in the
final eighth of a mile. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, she won by 2 ¼ lengths while
covering the mile in 1:34.63.
Second,
defeated by a head by Unzip Me in the Irish O’Brien on March 20 at Santa Anita
in her only previous race on grass, U R All That I Am won for the eighth time
in 15 lifetime outings. She has earned $307,628.
Hollendorfer
also saddled You Lift Me Up, who disappointed as the 7-10 favorite.
Seeking
her seventh victory on turf, the 5-year-old daughter of Lord Carson and the
Green Dancer mare Up On Her Toes never threatened, finishing fourth in the
field of five. She wound up 6 ¾ lengths behind her stablemate.
Her
poor performance led to some inflated show payoffs on the first three
finishers. Of the $168,614 bet to show in the Fran’s Valentine, $143,484 was
wagered on You Lift Me Up.
U
R All That I Am, who provided Bejarano with his second Fran’s Valentine win in
a row after he scored with Bootleg Annie in 2009, returned $6.20, $3.40 and
$7.80. Woman Warrior, who has been first or second in four of her six starts on
turf, paid $6.40 and $21.40. The show price on Salty Fries, who was the longest
shot in the field at 10-1, was $25.20. Salty Fries finished 3 ½ lengths behind
Woman Warrior.
“There
wasn’t a lot of speed,’’ said Bejarano after his fourth stakes win of the meet,
enabling him to tie Mike Smith for the lead in the category. “When I saw Woman
Warrior was going to the lead by herself, I just tried to get my filly closer.
On the turn she showed me a big kick, a big turn of foot.’’
Hollendorfer
praised the tactics employed by Bejarano.
“The
race was won out of the gate when Rafael adjusted,’’ he said. “He came out
there real well and instead of laying third or fourth, he decided he could lay
second easily enough. I think that was a key part of the race.
“I
was hoping You Lift Me up would run better, but she did not fire today for
whatever reason. I’m thankful that we had U R All That I Am in there to pick up
the win.’’
Hollywood Park
will be open for simulcasts on Wednesday. Gates will open at 10:15 a.m.
Live
racing will resume on Thursday. Post time is 1 p.m.