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 Tommie
Morelos/ Coady Photography
Twelve Twenty Two narrowly wins
$50,000 Bold Ego Handicap
Sunland Park, NM - 23, 2011 - Coming off a near 7-month layoff
Twelve Twenty Two scored a narrow victory in the $50,000 Bold Ego
Handicap at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino on Friday.
Under a strategic ride from red hot jockey Enrique Portillo Gomez,
Twelve Twenty Two launched a six-wide bid off the far turn and
rallied with an energetic bid to overtake Squiggle in a dramatic
finish. The classy Kafwain mare surged past her rival to win the
five and one-half furlong distaff feature by a neck. Despite
trailing for much of the sprint, Gomez never panicked aboard last
season’s Harry Henson Handicap winner and the patience paid off
handsomely. The 3-5 favorite stopped the clock in a fast 1:03.91
through some very wintry conditions.
Twelve Twenty Two is perfect at the local oval, having won her last
five races over Sunland Park soil. She has last seen running in the
Grade 1 $300,000 Humana Distaff held at Churchill Downs on Kentucky
Derby Day (May 7). The six-year-old bay mare earned a $30,000 pay
day from her Bold Ego victory. The multiple stakes winner has 6
career wins from 12 starts with earnings approaching $200,000.
Winning trainer Henry Dominguez claimed Twelve Twenty Two for
$25,000 at Hollywood Park on Dec. 17, 2010. Since then, she has
reeled off five wins from six starts for owners J. Kirk and Judy
Robison and the the Solitaire Stable of El Paso, Texas.
The ultra game Squiggle produced another high level performance and
just missed in a prolonged battle with the favorite. David
Wolochuk’s talented filly dug in bravely in the final furlong and
finished a close second. The Pioneering filly was 2 lengths in front
of the pace setter D’Elegance. The latter held the lead for much of
the way for trainer Chip Woolley but seemed to lose steam in the
final furlong. The 26-1 long shot outran her odds and finished a
solid third after carving out the early fractions of 22.08 and 44.75
seconds.
There will be no live racing on Saturday, Christmas Eve or Sunday,
Christmas Day. Live racing resumes on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 12:25 p.m.
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