Bonfante wins Sam Whiting

PLEASANTON, Calif. - Bonfante ($8.20) won his second consecutive stakes, defeating early pacesetter Flying Supercon by one-half length to win the $53,550 Sam J. Whiting Memorial Handicap at the Alameda County Fair on Saturday.

Bonfante, coming off a victory in the Ken Maddy Sprint, sat fourth down the backstretch as Flying Supercon outdueled Trickey Trevor and Onebadshark for the lead. When Flying Supercon remained off the rail on the turn, Bonfante's rider Miguel Perez cut inside him, taking the lead at the quarter pole. He opened up into the lane and held on as Flying Supercon re-rallied and closed determinedly.

The winning time for the six-furlong sprint was 1:08.71.

"A couple in there had a lot of speed," winning jockey Miguel Perez said. "I just waited for a hole. When he took the horse wide, I went inside. My horse is really smart. I can do anything with him."

Winning trainer Steve Specht said, "He made a good move on the turn. I thought once we got by him, we were home free, but Flying Supercon ran a helluva race. I was worried the final sixteenth."

The 4-year-old Frankfurt Stable and Eugene Tenbrink homebred gelding earned $29,900, lifting his career total to $178,132 with his fifth victory in 13 starts.