Giver Not a Taker gets up in final strides to win King Glorious Stakes

CYPRESS, Calif. - Giver Not a Taker ($3.20) caught 45-1 Crypto Ride in the final strides at Los Alamitos Racecourse to win Sunday’s $101,500 King Glorious Stakes for 2-year-old California-breds, a race marred by an incident in which jockey Mario Gutierrez was unseated from Please Focus while leading.

Please Focus was approaching the backstretch of the one-mile race when he ducked out sharply, forcing Gutierrez from the saddle. Gutierrez appeared to escape injury. He received attention from track paramedics.

Gutierrez later walked back to the jockey’s room, according to his agent, Matt Nakatani, and trainer Leandro Mora.

After unseating Gutierrez, Please Focus ran clear of the other runners to the stretch when he moved to the outside, jumped a rail, and crawled under the rail and back onto the track before being caught by an outrider.

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Please Focus was walked back to Mora’s stable. Mora said Please Focus was not injured.

After the incident, Geezer (7-2) inherited the lead on the backstretch, closely followed by 13-1 Tom and Jazzy through a half-mile fraction in 47.66 seconds. Crypto Ride took the lead with a wide move in early stretch, while Giver Not a Taker rallied on the inside.

Giver Not a Taker won by a head. Crypto Ride finished five lengths clear of Geezer, who was followed by Merit Song, Amigo G A, Tom and Jazzy and Belly Up.

Giver Not a Taker was timed in 1:38.16 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 70.

Trained by Peter Miller, Giver Not a Taker races for Kirk and Judy Robison, who bred the gelding. By Danzing Candy, Giver Not a Taker has won 3 of 5 starts and earned $214,750.

The King Glorious Stakes was Giver Not a Taker’s second stakes win in the statebred division. He won the I’m Smokin Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar on Sept. 9.

In October at Santa Anita, Giver Not a Taker was beaten twice, finishing ninth in the Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes at a mile on turf and second in the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile for statebreds at seven furlongs.

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