Beach Flower wins HBPA Distaff for third time
Beach Flower won the $50,000 Minnesota H.B.P.A Distaff on Wednesday night at soggy Canterbury Park, the third time the mare has won a renewal of this route race for fillies and mares.
Beach Flower has two second-place finishes to go with her trio of Minnesota H.B.P.A. wins and has always been competitive in the race whether it has been run on turf or rained onto dirt, as was the case Wednesday.
Persistent local rain forced all three $50,000 stakes on the Wednesday program to be shifted from grass to dirt. The H.B.P.A Distaff was up first, with Beach Flower gamely wearing down pacesetting Rush Hour Traffic to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The third choice, she paid $6 to win under Roimes Chirinos, clocking 1:38.07 for one mile on a muddy surface. Winning for the 12th time in 56 starts, 9-year-old Beach Flower is by Flower Alley out of Hogan Beach, by Harlan’s Holiday. She campaigns for Hugh Robertson, John Mentz, and Jeff Larson, and is trained by Mac Robertson.
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Mac Robertson ran one-two in the opening night Lady Slipper Stakes last week and, in addition to winning two stakes on the Wednesday card, had another one-two finish in the $50,000 Honor the Hero. Plane Talk, winning his first stakes race, was much the best going wire to wire under Alex Canchari in the Honor the Hero, coasting to a 6 1/2-length score over stablemate Sir Wellington, who rallied mildly, wide, and late to get up for second. Plane Talk ($10.80) was timed in 56.49 for five furlongs on the muddy surface. Robertson trains the 5-year-old horse, by Conveyance out of Kitty’s Pearl, by Bellamy Road, for Novogratz racing.
Tut’s Revenge had been second last summer in an off-turf renewal of the $50,000 Brooks Fields but was comfortably best in this year’s edition, overhauling pacesetting runner-up Drama Chorus for a 2 ¼-length win under Harry Hernandez. Now a winner in 11 of his 35 career starts, Tut’s Revenge, a 6-year-old gelding by Eskendereya out of Cat Five’ O, by Pleasantly Perfect, is trained by Clinton Stuart for Claim to Fame Stable. He was timed in 1:35.86 for the mile and paid $3.20 as the heavy favorite.