Goin' Dancin finds Coyote more his speed

Goin' Dancin, who made a threatening move in last month's Phoenix Gold Cup at Turf Paradise before finishing sixth, appreciated the drop in class as he rolled to victory in Monday's $50,000 Coyote Handicap.

Owned by Craig and Lynn Lanham and trained by Troy Smith, Goin' Dancin dogged pacesetter Twin Sparks, took over from that rival in midstretch, and drew away under Daniel Vergara to report hom 2 3/4 lengths in front of Eagle Storm. The latter sat back and made a nice run through the lane, while Twin Sparks, the pacesetter, weakened a bit to be third. Ducky Drake, the prohibitive 3-5 favorite after running second in the Gold Cup, sat back and made only modest headway, finishing fifth in the field of seven.

Goin' Dancin, a 6-year-old gelding by Ihtimam, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in a very fast 1:14.85. He paid $13.40, and the winner's share of $30,000 pushes his career earnings to $107,728 from 8 wins in 25 starts. This also marked the first stakes win for trainer Smith.