Gold Mover cools off Heat

MIAMI - Trainer Mark Hennig is among the nation's leaders in stakes races won this year. But none of those previous victories gave him as big a thrill as watching Gold Mover run down Eclipse Award winner Xtra Heat to post a half-length victory in Saturday's $400,000 Handicap at Calder.

The Grade 2 Princess Rooney was the main event on Saturday's $1.4 million Summit of Speed card and also closed out a $1 pick four wager on the day's major stakes that paid $244.40.

With Jerry Bailey aboard for the first time, Gold Mover raced behind the leaders down the backstretch as Xtra Heat dueled with the locally based Vague Memory through fractions of 21.48 seconds and 44.54. Xtra Heat disposed of her early pursuer on the turn, at which point Gold Mover began to inch closer.

Gold Mover took a run at Xtra Heat into the stretch, but Xtra Heat repulsed the challenge while still in hand. But Bailey and Gold Mover never gave up, easing outside Xtra Heat before wearing her down in the final sixteenth of a mile. Fly Me Crazy was third.

Gold Mover received a 12-pound weight concession from Xtra Heat, who carried 127 pounds in the Princess Rooney. She paid $5.80 after running six furlongs in 1:10.21 over a fast track. The win was the second on the day for Bailey, who also captured the $250,000 Carry Back Stakes aboard Royal Lad.

"I haven't gotten quite as excited or emotional after a win in quite a while," Hennig said. "As much as everyone admires that other filly it's nice to finally beat her like that. I have to admit at the head of the stretch I kind of lost confidence when Xtra Heat seemed to pull away and my filly took a touch too long to switch leads. But I felt if the weight was ever going to come into play it might be on a hot day like this."

Bailey said he also felt he might be in some trouble at the head of the stretch.

"I didn't know if I could rein her in at that point, but my horse dug down and gave me another run," he said.

"She ran her race but the other filly was just a better horse today," said John Salzman, who trains Xtra Heat. "Maybe they'll have to start taking some weight off her next time."