Cistron runs down Bound for Nowhere in San Simeon

With little ground to spare, Cistron caught Bound for Nowhere in the final strides to win his first start since July in Saturday’s Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita.

Bound for Nowhere, the 1-2 favorite, took the lead from Surrender Now in early stretch and looked in command of the race before Cistron rallied under jockey Victor Espinoza to prevail by a head.

Cistron ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.68 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100, which equals his career-best.

A 6-year-old horse by The Factor, Cistron was third on the backstretch behind pacesetter Surrender Now, racing along the rail and under restraint from Espinoza. Surrender Now, a 5-year-old mare and the only female in the race, set early fractions of 22.08 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.91 for a half-mile.

In early stretch, Espinoza moved Cistron into contention three-wide. Bound for Nowhere passed Surrender Now and led briefly by a length, but could not hold off Cistron.

“I know this is a good horse and he broke sharp, but when that mare outside of me went so fast, I thought I didn’t want to empty the tank too early,” Espinoza said. “I gambled a little bit and it worked out great.”

Bound for Nowhere finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 7-1 Murad Khan, who was followed by King of Speed, Sparky Ville, Voodoo Song, and Surrender Now.

Cistron won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar last summer, earning a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November. In October, Cistron was taken out of training because of a back issue.

Owned by Pete and Kosta Hronis and trained by John Sadler, Cistron had his best season in 2019. Aside from the Bing Crosby, Cistron won the Grade 2 Kona Gold Stakes for sprinters at 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt at Santa Anita last April.

Saturday’s $101,000 San Simeon Stakes was Cistron’s first stakes win on turf and fourth of his career, which includes 6 wins in 28 starts and earnings of $760,719. Last year, Cistron was second in the San Simeon Stakes when the race was run on the hillside turf course, which is no longer used for sprints.