Under a well-timed ride from Tyler Baze,
Unusual Jazz was a handy
winner of Santa Anita’s $58,000 Trinity River Purse, a first condition
allowance/optional claimer for older horses bred in California at one
mile on turf.
Unusual Jazz covered the mile in 1:34.27, easily besting 2-1
favorite Motown Men and Rafael Bejarano by 2 ¼ lengths while providing
winning trainer Steve Knapp with his second consecutive win on the
Friday card.
“If you ask Tyler, he’ll tell you that he moved a little too
soon last time,” said Knapp, in reference to a third-place finish going
1 1/16 miles on turf at Betfair Hollywood Park on Dec. 13. “It’s tough
to win on the grass when you make the lead at the eighth pole and try
to hold on.”
Off as the 2-1 second choice in a field of seven, Unusual Jazz
paid $6.80, $3.20 and $2.40. He sat well off fractions of 23.00, 46.74,
1:10.72 and 1:22.53.
“Last time out I hit the lead way too early with him and didn’t
realize he would pull himself up,” said Baze. “Today, when I hit the
lead I just started screaming at him because he wants to wait for the
other horses. It just kept his attention on what he was doing.”
Owned by Albert & Kathleen Mattivi, Knapp claimed the
6-year-old son of Unusual Heat for $8,000 at the 2011 Fairplex Park
meeting and has won five races since. With the winner’s share of
$34,800, Unusual Jazz ran his earnings to $187,600 from a record of
20-6-1-5.
Motown Men pressed the pace in second position to the far turn,
put a head in front turning for home, but couldn’t match strides with
the winner, finishing a neck in front of third-place finisher Unusual
Beam and Corey Nakatani.
Motown Men paid $4.00 and $2.60.
Unusual Beam returned $2.40 to show.
There is a Pick Six carryover of $48,433 into Saturday at Santa
Anita. The Pick Six will cover the final six races, four through nine.