 Coady
Photography / Oaklawn Park
SUBBING JOCKEY WADE & GLEAMING SHINE THROUGH
FOG IN AMERICAN BEAUTY
HOT SPRINGS, AR (Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012) – Foggy weather proved
fortuitous for jockey Lindey Wade when he picked up the ride aboard
Sanders and Hirsch’s Gleaming in the $50,000 American Beauty Stakes
at Oaklawn because jockey Cliff Berry was unable to fly back from
Houston because of the weather.
The slight second-choice was making her first start since November
and out to make amends for a horrendous ninth-place finish in the
American Beauty last year, Gleaming seemed star-crossed when she and
Wade broke poorly from the gate, but she relaxed off the hot pace
and swept past Sassy City who had taken a clear lead at the top of
the stretch.
Trained by Bret Calhoun, Gleaming paid $7.20 and covered the six
furlongs in 1:11.35 in her 1 ¾-length victory. Sassy City was 3 ¾
lengths clear of Rattlin Gypsy in third.
“She stumbled a little bit coming out of there,” said Wade, who
earned his first stakes win at Oaklawn and added another victory
earlier on the card. “They wanted me a little bit closer to the
front, but we went to Plan B and when I asked her she just started
coming and coming and she was able to get up there.”
Berry and jockey Luis Quinonez were very successful at Sam Houston
Race Park Saturday night with each winning stakes on the Texas
Champions Night card. They were scheduled to return in time for the
Oaklawn program, but weather conditions in Texas and Little Rock
made that impossible. Berry missed four mounts, with Gleaming the
only winner while Quinonez missed four rides, but none hit the
board.
Quotes:
Winning jockey Lindey Wade, Gleaming – “This is the first time this
has ever happened to me; picking up a mount in the stakes and
winning it. I had to go to plan B. I was supposed to be on the lead
and we ended up back with the trailers. I said if she gets beat she
gets beat, so I asked her for everything she had from the
three-eighths pole home and she didn’t stop.”
Jockey Ramon Vazquez, second aboard Sassy City – “I could hear her
(Gleaming) coming so I moved my stick to the left hand to try to get
her going. The other filly was just too close and coming too fast. I
feel alright about the race. My filly ran sharp, she ran her race.”
Jockey Eddie Razo Jr, fourth aboard All About Allie - “Mine got to
jumping up and down but then settled down and finished well, but it
was too late.”
Jockey Isreal Ocampo, third aboard Rattlin Gypsy: She was
comfortable with me, but we just got outrun. She went well. At one
time I thought we might win it, but it wasn’t to be.
Jockey Terry Thompson, seventh aboard favorite Starlite Starbrite:
“We just went too fast. This track was deep and dead and that was
the kiss of death out there today with the way we went at it. My
filly wants to be out there and we talked before the race that she
should be allowed to be up there, but that just wasn’t the day to
have that running style out there today.”
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