Bordonaro gets job done

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Bordonaro was out of sorts at his barn in the morning, and washed out in the paddock before the race, but he saved plenty of energy for the $300,000 , which began the Gulfstream Park portion of the Sunshine Millions.

After getting outrun for the early lead, Bordonaro was able to reel in early leaders Areyoutalkintome and Thor's Echo, then staved off a late bid by Tacirring to win by three-quarters of a length and score his third straight victory and seventh in his last eight starts.

Tacirring, who got a perfect trip behind four horses who dueled for the lead, finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Bushwacker, who was four wide while battling for the early lead.

Bordonaro, the favorite in the field of 13, completed six furlongs in 1:08.57 on a fast main track and paid $5 to win.

Bordonaro, a California-bred, was making his first start outside his home state. According to his trainer, Bill Spawr, Bordonaro never quite settled in comfortably in Florida after arriving the middle of the week. And then in the paddock before the race, Bordonaro got quite lathered up.

But Bordonaro was professional in the race. He had led from start to finish in his two prior wins, but was forced to stalk this time because Areyoutalkintome and Thor's Echo rushed to the front from their inside posts. They clicked off fractions of 21.55 seconds for the opening quarter and 43.66 seconds for a half-mile.

"He broke good, but the other horses wanted the lead," said Patrick Valenzuela, who rode Bordonaro. "So I just sat with him."

"With the headwind, I didn't want him to open up too soon," Spawr said. "I wanted Pat to tuck in and save some ground. I wasn't surprised the other horses went for the lead like that. They had no option from there. I talked to Pat about it, and told him to sit comfortable, not to rush him. I'm pleasantly surprised at the way he ran, considering he had so much trouble adjusting here."