Deshawn Parker wins four of seven Texas Champions Day stakes

Jockey Deshawn Parker swept into Lone Star Park on Sunday and won four of the seven stakes on Texas Champions Day, including the Richard King Turf with Redatory and the Star of Texas with Kenai Bob.

Parker, who is set to ride at Indiana Grand, also won the Bara Lass with Always Inthe Munny and the San Jacinto with Herbs Love.

The seven stakes were all restricted to horses bred in Texas and each was worth $75,000.

The card Sunday was the first of the meet run before spectators. The Texas Champions Day races were the first stakes of the season, which is expected to run through Aug. 11.

Redatory ($3) continued his reign over the Texas-bred turf division when he caught pacesetter Sunlit Song for a head win in the Richard King. Redatory tracked that Sunlit Song through fractions of 24.93 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.72 for the half-mile and 1:13.57 for six furlongs. In the stretch the race was on, with Redatory just getting the better of Sunlit Song while covering a mile and an eighth on firm ground in 1:48.44.

“They both ran really good,” winning trainer Allen Dupuy said in a post-race interview broadcast by Lone Star. “Sunlit Song is a good horse. Red just nosed him out.”

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Redatory swept the state’s three major turf route stakes for Texas-breds last year, including the Richard King, to earn champion older horse honors from the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

Redatory has now won 7 of 19 starts and earned $274,692. The son of Oratory races for his breeder, James Wessel.

Kenai Bob ($6.20) set a controlled pace in the Star of Texas, then drew out by 10 1/2 lengths. Parker guided the horse through an opening quarter in 24.33 seconds, a half-mile in 47.90 and six furlongs in 1:12.07. The pair went on to cover the mile for 4-year-olds and up in 1:37.55 over a fast track.

Parker was aboard for trainer Mindy Willis.

“He did it so easy,” the rider said in an interview broadcast by Lone Star.

Kenai Bob entered off a runner-up finish in a two-other-than allowance May 18 at Will Rogers Downs. He was making his first start for Willis as his owner, Michael Grossman, and longtime trainer, Francisco Bravo, left him in the region for the Texas-bred stakes opportunities with their stable now based at Canterbury Park.

Kenai Bob was winning his first stakes race. He is a son of Shackleford.

Grossman, Willis, and Parker also accounted for the Bara Lass with Always Inthe Munny ($2.40), who set the pace and moved out to an 8 1/2-length win. She covered the six furlongs for 3-year-old fillies in 1:10.62.

“She’s all racehorse,” said Willis.

Always Inthe Munny is a daughter of Munnings who was making her stakes debut.

Parker’s other winner on Sunday, Herbs Love ($8.80), rallied for a three-length victory over Averys Miss in the San Jacinto. She covered the mile and a sixteenth for fillies and mares on turf in 1:42.39. Danny Pish trains Herbs Love, a daughter of Etesaal, for Sam Sherman.

Parker on Feb. 22 swept four restricted stakes races on a card at Sam Houston. The stakes were meant as preps for Texas Champions Day, which had to be canceled in March due to a blown transformer at Sam Houston. The event was then moved to Lone Star.

* Direct Dial ($6.80), the 2018 Texas-bred of the year, came five wide into the stretch in the Spirit of Texas and won by five lengths to capture the race for the second year in a row. He covered six furlongs in a hand-timed 1:11.60. Stewart Elliott was aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen.

* Wonders of Hislove ($24.60) led throughout for a length win over Gold Pilot in the Groovy, which was for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. The posted finish time was 1:09.08, but Lone Star announced the timer had been tripped and the hand-timed finish was 1:11.24. Ivan Arellano was aboard for owner and trainer J.R. Caldwell.

* Ima Discreet Lady ($8.60), the Texas-bred 3-year-old filly of 2019, was always prominent for a 4 1/2-length win in the Yellow Rose. She covered the six furlongs for fillies and mares in 1:10.69. David Cabrera was aboard the daughter of Discreet Cat for trainer Karl Broberg.