Dashnunder Afullmoon now 4 for 4 with Lee Berwick victory

Dashnunder Afullmoon ran her record to 4 for 4 Saturday night when she rallied for a half-length win over You Drive I Fly in the $705,495 Lee Berwick Futurity that closed out the Quarter Horse meet at Delta Downs.

The restricted Grade 1 was one of seven stakes on the card, all for horses bred in Louisiana.

Dashnunder Afullmoon ($4) set the fastest qualifying time for the Lee Berwick and was sent to post as the even-money favorite Saturday. She did not disappoint, picking up steam with every stride to cover 350 yards on a fast track in 17.48 seconds.

“I’m just shaking right now,” 19-year-old winning rider Eddie Sanchez said. “I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say.”

The purse for this year’s Lee Berwick made the race the richest Quarter Horse offering ever at Delta, according to an announcement by the track.

Dashnunder Afullmoon earned $352,747 for owner Rogelio Marquez Jr.

Sanchez’s father, Jose Sanchez, trains Dashnunder Afullmoon. The filly has had an outstanding meet. She won her debut in an April 28 trial for the Grade 2, $322,285 Lassie Futurity, then won a shake to get into the finale. Dashunder Afullmoon delivered at 28-1 in the Lassie on May 19, then was a 1 3/4-length winner of her trial for the Lee Berwick.

“This race the tables turned,” Marquez said, comparing the Lassie to the Berwick. “The pressure was on her and she handled it.”

Dashnunder Afullmoon is a daughter of Heza Fast Dash who was purchased for $44,500 at the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association yearling sale last August. She will now be freshened, said Marquez.

The card also included the $257,160 Delta Downs Louisiana-bred Derby won by Jrs Coronas Shadow ($26.40). He covered 400 yards in 19.33 seconds and led a sweep of the top three spots by Delta leading trainer Kenneth Roberts. Roberts trainees First Prize Bourban and No Politics Here finished a respective second and third in the Delta Downs Derby. The trifecta paid $120.30.

Roberts trainee Heza Louisiana Dash ($3) won his third straight stakes race at the Delta meet in the $100,000 Louisiana Classic, which is a restricted Grade 2. He covered 440 yards in 21.51 seconds, under Gilbert Ortiz.