Brickyard Ride first to take four stakes at Santa Anita this season

ARCADIA, Calif. – The streaking sprinter Brickyard Ride on Saturday became the first four-time stakes winner this season at Santa Anita, where he dominated the Grade 3 Kona Gold Stakes in front-running fashion.

Brickyard Ride defeated three rivals, but the truth is he was running mainly against the clock. The odds-on favorite won that contest, also. Brickyard Ride’s final time of 1:15.07 was the fastest 6 1/2 furlongs of the Santa Anita meet by more than four-fifths of a second. The previous fastest time this meet was 1:15.91.

Juan Hernandez rode Brickyard Ride ($2.80) for owner-breeder Sonny Pais and Craig Lewis, and the outcome was never in doubt. The 5-year-old broke like a shot, made the lead comfortably, went the half-mile in a sizzling 44.10 seconds (also meet-fastest for distance), and won geared down by 2 1/4 lengths.

Tigre Di Slugo rallied from last to finish a creditable second as the longest shot in the field while making his first start in a year. Strike That chased the fast pace from second position and paid the price. He finished third, far in front of Miles Ahead.

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“He’s a very fast horse,” Hernandez said. “I told Craig (Lewis) I didn’t want to go that fast, but you know, he just loves to do that.”

“Juan said he wanted to take it easy on him, but he wouldn’t let him,” Lewis said. “He just keeps getting better and better. It’s a nice place to be, to have the fastest and possibly the best horse, but a lot of expectations.”

Pais was overcome with emotion in the winner’s circle afterward, partly from relief and partly in awe of Brickyard Ride, the son of Clubhouse Ride he bred and owns. “It’s hard to do, win four in a row,” Pais said.

Brickyard Ride won three Cal-bred stakes this meet. The Kona Gold marked a return to open company and his first graded stakes win since he wired the Grade 2 San Carlos at Santa Anita last March. Brickyard Ride has won 12 races and $740,977 from 22 starts.

Lewis said after the Saturday victory that Brickyard Yard would be nominated to a series of stakes in late May including the Thor’s Echo Stakes for Cal-bred sprinters on dirt, Crystal Water for turf milers, the Grade 3 Daytona for turf sprinters, and Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs on dirt.

Another race he will be nominated to would be a reach. Although Brickyard Ride is likely to stay home, plans call for him to be nominated to the Grade 1 Met Mile at Belmont Park. The long-term, season-ending objective is to be at Keeneland for a Breeders’ Cup race on Nov. 4-5.