Arlington: Hydro Power impresses in Springfield

Four-Footed Fotos

Hydro Power (10), with Brian Hernandez Jr. riding, wins the Springfield.

Spanky Broussard paid for victory in the $92,350 Springfield Stakes with his blood.

Hydro Power bit Broussard's finger - and didn't want to let go, either - while the veteran trainer was saddling his charge for the Springfield. By the time Broussard got treatment for the wound, he was holding a trophy.

Hydro Power was one of the better looking winners in the six Illinois-bred stakes contested Saturday at Arlington. Moving back to Illinois-bred competition after an open-stakes run at Prairie Meadows last out, Hydro Power and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. made an early lead and held clear stretch runs from second-place Forbidden Forest and show horse Rivershire to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

"He just out-broke them," Broussard said of Hydro Power, whom he trains for owner-breeder Richard Rudolph.

Hydro Power, a son of Aptitude out of Deposit Express, paid $11 and was timed in 1:38.56 for a one-turn Polytrack mile.

Purple Violet: Our Lady in Red rallies wide

Hydro Power was one of several front-running main-track winners on Saturday's program, but Our Lady in Red busted the inside bias winning the $92,900 Purple Violet Stakes, the 3-year-old filly counterpart to the Springfield. Two and three wide down the backstretch, Our Lady in Red made a bold four-wide bid into the stretch and caught slow-pace-setting Cityrap by a neck. Third Chance was 2 1/2 lengths farther back in third.

"The other horse had an easy lead, we were against the bias," said Richie Scherer, who trains Our Lady in Red for Last Call Racing Partnership. "No, I didn't think we were going to get there."

Ridden by Julio Felix, Our Lady in Red paid $9.40 and was timed in 1:39.47 for a Polytrack mile.

Lincoln Heritage, White Oak: Pair of Block winners

Trainer Chris Block was able to get a race into Peyote Patty before the Prairie State Festival, but Shrewd Operator made his first start since last August on Saturday at Arlington. No matter - both won.

Peyote Patty made all the running under Tim Thornton, fending off challenges, early, middle, and late, and won the $86,600 Lincoln Heritage by one length over Pathway. Away from the races from June 2010 until May 22, Peyote Patty finished fourth in her comeback but obviously was a much tighter horse Saturday. Racing over a turf course rated good, she made the lead over Catalina Way, who harassed her past the three-eighths pole, whereupon Peyote Patty opened daylight. Pathway came late but could not reach the winner, who was timed in 1:43.84 for 1 1/16 miles while paying $6.20. Favored Dundalk Dust, also trained by Block, was a nonthreatening third.

Timothy Keeley owns Peyote Patty, while Shrewd Operator is a 7-year-old Block family homebred who has been a crack sprinter for years. Now 7, Shrewd Operator was making just the 18th start of his career Saturday and his first since last summer, but he zipped straight to the front under Eddie Perez and won the $89,200 White Oak Handicap easily, dashing home nine lengths clear of River Bear and Big Looie, running six furlongs on Polytrack in a fine 1:09.89. Shrewd Operator, a son of Twining who was winning for the eighth time, paid $7 as the favorite.

Black Tie Affair: Tazz wires rivals

Christine Janks waited until the last stakes Saturday to land a Prairie State stakes win for the seventh year in a row, sending out Tazz to a front-running score in the $90,100 Black Tie Affair. Tazz and jockey Corey Nakatani set a moderate pace and held on to beat tough-trip Princeville Condo by a half-length.
Free Fighter was another nose back in third, with East Coast invader Gathering Cloud a head back in fourth after a wide journey.

Tazz, a 5-year-old son of Roar of the Tiger bred and owned by Rob and Kelly Dobbs and Carson Springs Farm, paid $10.80 to win and was timed in 1:43.69 for 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Isaac Murphy: Wild Hope by a head

Wild Hope ($15) came off the fence at the top of the stretch and rallied four wide to win the $101,900 Isaac Murphy by a head over longshot Kel's Dreamer. Cruise, who had an eventful journey, finished third. Frank Kirby trains Wild Hope, a Quaker Ridge filly, for owner-breeders Gary and Beth Leverton.