Calculator all the way in Clockers' Corner Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Calculator won his first stakes in more than three years in Sunday’s $82,995 Clockers’ Corner Stakes, leading throughout the turf sprint on the hillside course at Santa Anita and scoring by one length.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Calculator ($3.80) was not expected to be in front in the opening furlongs. He had such an excellent start that Prat decided to alter race tactics.

“He broke really good, and I was close to the lead and decided to take the lead,” Prat said. “I was comfortable on the lead.”

Calculator set a quick pace of 20.85 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 43.22 for a half-mile, leading by at least a length. He faced a challenge from Perfectly Majestic in the final quarter-mile but maintained his lead. Fly to Mars caught Perfectly Majestic in the final strides to finish second, a length behind Calculator.

Fly to Mars finished three-quarters of a length in front of Perfectly Majestic, giving trainer Peter Miller a sweep of the exacta. Jimmy Bouncer finished fourth, followed by The Critical Way and Sycamore Lane.

Fly to Mars had shown speed in recent starts and was widely expected to set the pace.

Miller trains Calculator for Richard Pell and Fly to Mars for Gary Barber.

Calculator, a 6-year-old horse by In Summation, has won 5 of 20 starts and earned $642,560. Calculator was seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 4 and fourth in the Grade 3 Midnight Lute Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on Dec. 30 in his first start of the meeting.

The Clockers’ Corner Stakes was Calculator’s first win since an allowance race with a $75,000 optional-claiming condition on the hillside turf course last July. Calculator won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile on dirt for 3-year-olds here in January 2015. Sunday’s win ended a streak of 10 losses in stakes.