 Scott
Martinez photo / story by Ty Wyant
Dash Back Perry Keeps Bassett Hot
Cypress, CA - Jan. 8, 2012 - Johnny Trotter’s homebred Dash Back
Perry cruised to a convincing victory over a very deep field of
distaffers in the Grade 1, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap on Sunday
night at Los Alamitos to keep the hot streak going for trainer Joe
“Bear” Bassett.
Dash Back Perry, with Saul Ramirez Jr. up, broke sharply from the
outside post position and had plenty of racing room. The determined
daughter of Mr Jess Perry had her rivals at bay within the first 200
yards of the 400-yard dash and rolled to the three-quarter-length
win as the 5-2 favorite.
Dash Back Perry stopped the timer in :19.676 with Getit Together
second by a neck over Fredaville.
Bassett has overcome a lackluster streak from much of 2011 with
important graded stakes wins at Los Alamitos over the past two
months. Back in November, Dash Back Perry took the Las Damas
Handicap by one-half length over Getit Together and then he won the
Grade 1, $1,152,300 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity with I Like
The Odds, who is currently battling a possible spider bite and in
serious condition.
“Everything has come together,” Bassett said. “Dash Back Perry runs
with her head to the ground and the farther she runs the lower her
head gets. That’s just her racing style. I think this is a more
impressive win (by Dash Back Perry) because there were four or five
mares that were not in the Las Damas that were in this race that are
simply fantastic mares. Fovee and a couple of the others are
outstanding mares and Dash Back Perry won this race just as easy as
when she won the Las Damas.”
Dash Back Perry has successfully raced in New Mexico, Texas and
Oklahoma, however found Los Alamitos to be a personal favorite in
recent months. Before taking the Grade 3 Las Damas Handicap back in
November, the five-year-old mare was second by one-half length in
the $25,000 Farnam Stakes on the Bank of America Challenge
Championship undercard at Los Alamitos.
At two, Dash Back Perry qualified for the Golden State Million
Futurity at Los Alamitos.
At three, the well-traveled mare was third in the Grade 1 Texas
Classic Derby Lone Star Park and the Grade 1 Zia Park Championship
against male rivals.
Martha Wells’ homebred Getit Together was second behind Dash Back
Perry for the second straight race. Each of the mares came into the
Charger Bar after racing in the Las Damas Handicap and Getit
Together, who went off at 30-1 odds, managed to get within one-half
length of Dash Back Perry in the 400-yard Las Damas.
The Dan Francisco-trained Getit Together won the AQHA Member Stakes
two starts ago.
Robert Gentry’s homebred Fredaville was three-for-three last spring
at Remington Park with wins in the Grade 3 Decketta Stakes and the
Merial Remington Park Distaff Challenge. She joined the Juan Aleman
barn at Los Alamitos last fall and was second in the Merial Distaff
Challenge Championship.
Gentry was also represented by 3-1 second choice Fovee in the
Charger Bar. She encountered severe trouble at the race’s start and
was never a contender, being eased through the race.
|
