Charitabledonation wins Christmas Past

HALLANDLAE BEACH, Fla. - Charitabledonation overcame her own inexperience to register an easy four and one quarter length victory over 7-5 favorite Stormy Frolic in Sunday's $75,000 Christmas Past Stakes giving trainer Mark Hennig, jockey Eibar Coa and owner-breeder Edward P Evans a sweep of both weekend stakes at Gulfstream Park. The same trio also combined to win Saturday's Hallandale Beach Handicap with Gygistar.

Making only the third start of her career, Charitabledonation rated off the early pace of Miss Dixie Chick then readily collared the leader while kept wide into the stretch. She quickly opened a clear lead, ducked out suddenly at the eighth pole but quickly straightened away to increase her advantage through the final sixteenth of a mile. Stormy Frolic outfinished French Satin by a neck to finish second while never seriously threatening the winner. Miss Dixie Chick was a tiring fourth followed by Ciudad de Carson and Rate Card.

Charitabledonation paid $8.60 after covering 1 & 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:45.73 seconds.

"I can't say why she ducked out like that but I knew she was going to do something when she went by the leader," said Coa who registered his eighth stakes win of the meet, tops of any rider here this season. "She's only run two times but didn't run that greenly in either previous race."

Charitabledonation gave Hennig his fifth stakes victory of the meet which lead all trainers.