C Z Rocket ends losing streak; will head to Oaklawn

DEL MAR, Calif. – The five-time stakes winner C Z Rocket won for the first time in 2023 in his ninth start of the year in an allowance race at six furlongs at Del Mar on Saturday.

The appearance will be his final start at the track.

A 9-year-old, C Z Rocket will not be eligible to race at Del Mar as a 10-year-old. Santa Anita allows horses to race through their 10-year-old seasons, according to track officials.

C Z Rocket is bound for the winter-spring meeting at Oaklawn Park, trainer Peter Miller said. The Oaklawn meeting begins on Dec. 8.

C Z Rocket, who has won 13 of 44 starts and more than $2.1 million, ended a 12-race losing streak dating to July 2022 on Saturday.

“He hasn’t won in a long time and it was good to see the old man back in the winner’s circle,” Miller said.

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Owned by the partnership of Tom Kagele, Madaket Stable, and Miller, C Z Rocket won two stakes at Oaklawn Park in 2021. The gelding is known for finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland in both 2020 and 2022.

Miller acknowledged on Saturday that C Z Rocket is nearing the end of his career.

“He’s exceeded all my expectations,” he said. “We’ll keep him healthy and happy. When he shows he doesn’t like what he’s doing that will be his last day.”

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