Az Ridge dominates Hasta La Vista

PHOENIX – Az Ridge ($2.10) dominated Tuesday’s $35,000 Hasta La Vista Handicap at Turf Paradise, clinching Horse of the Meet honors with his third straight stakes win of the meet. The Hasta La Vista card brought down the curtain on the track’s 144-day meet.

Owned by the Sawyer Cattle Co. and trained by Dan McFarlane, Az Ridge was sent off as the 1-20 favorite in the 1 7/8-mile grass event. He stalked early pacesetter Crushed It under Geovanni Franco, took over on the far turn, and drew off to win by seven lengths, geared down. Crushed It stayed on for second, while Stoney Fleece stalked and finished third in the field of six.

Az Ridge ran the distance in 3:12.72, well off the course mark for the distance (3:09.40). The winner’s share of $21,483 gave the 6-year-old gelded son of Toccet earnings of $380,084 from 13 wins in 38 starts.

• Ez Deluxe ($14.20) couldn’t handle Taste’s Secret when second to that guy when they both debuted here April 18, but he gained his revenge as the gelded son of Ez Dreamer gamely beat that foe in Tuesday’s $70,602 ATBA Sales Stakes.

Giving owner Sawyer Cattle Co., trainer McFarlane, and rider Franco back-to-back stakes wins to end the meet, Ez Dreamer stalked the pace in the five-furlong event for Arizona-bred 2-year-olds who were eligible for the ATBA fall sale, gamely went after Taste’s Secret in the lane, and got up in the final stride to win by a neck.

Taste’s Secret, the 6-5 favorite, dueled early with the filly Chargin Bye, got the better of that foe into the lane, but couldn’t quite fend off the winner, finishing well clear of Chargin Bye, the 8-5 second choice who was third in the field of nine.

Ez Deluxe ran the distance in 59.05 seconds, and the winner’s share of $38,051 gave him earnings of $40,031 from one win in two starts.

• Scott Stevens notched his seventh title as leading rider here, racking up 104 wins. Franco finished next with 97 wins. This was Stevens’s first title since 1999. Trainer Robertino Diodoro, who set a record with 125 wins at the 2013-14 meet, successfully defended his training title with 101 wins at this meet.

Racing returns to the Phoenix track with a 136-day meet starting Oct. 17 and running through May 7.