Black Ruby wins again

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Black Ruby beat Taz in a match race of leading mules on Friday at Los Alamitos, her third match race win over her rival in the last year.

Black Ruby ($2.40) beat Taz by a half-length over 300 yards in a $10,000 match. The two met in match races last summer, with Black Ruby winning by two lengths over 400 yards at Del Mar and by a half-length over 350 yards at Fairplex Park.

In Friday's race, billed as the Battle of the Titans, Black Ruby led throughout under jockey Jim Burns after being reluctant to load. Breaking from the inside, Black Ruby had a narrow lead at the start over Taz and widened her advantage midway through the race.

The win was worth $6,000 for owners Mary and Sonny McPherson. Trained by Ron White, Black Ruby has won 51 of 58 starts and $192,435. An 11-year-old, Black Ruby has not lost since the Mule Championship at Cal-Expo in Sacramento last August, when Taz prevailed by a head.

The 9-year-old Taz earned $4,000 from the match race to improve his earnings to $107,826. He has won 17 of 67 starts.

This summer, the two mules will meet frequently on the northern California fair circuit, which begins on June 11 in Stockton.