Hasta La Vista a long good-bye to meeting

PHOENIX – The $30,000 Hasta La Vista brings down the curtain on the 63rd season at Turf Paradise on Sunday. The traditional closing-day event, at 1 7/8 miles on turf, drew a full field of 12 3-year-olds and up and goes as the final race on an eight-race card.

The $30,000 Turf Paradise Spring Futurity, which matches 10 2-year-olds who qualified for the race last month, goes as race 7.

Spooky Channel and Stratton have been going toe-to-toe in recent months, with Spooky Channel winning all three races. Owned by Terry Hamilton and trained by Clay Brinson, Spooky Channel has done little wrong in his seven starts, all on turf this meet, winning five and finishing second in the other two. He’s won his last four, including the Turf Paradise Handicap on Feb. 8 and the Wildcat Handicap on March 30, which he won a neck over Stratton going 1 3/8 miles.

A 4-year-old gelded son of grass champion English Channel, Spooky Channel must deal with another four furlongs here, but he’s passed every distance test so far.

Stratton, owned by Tom Metzger Sr. and Owicatraz Racing Stable and trained by Dan McFarlane, has come closer to Spooky Channel as the races have gotten longer. He finished fourth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths, in the 1 1/16-mile Turf Paradise Handicap, and third, beaten 2 3/4 lengths, in Spooky Channel’s March 2 allowance win at 1 1/8 miles.

Stratton is proven at this trip, having romped in this race last year by 6 1/2 lengths.

Another hot entrant is Mr. Shook. The 4-year-old gelded son of Smart Strike is owned by the Sawyer Cattle Company and like Stratton is trained by McFarlane. He comes here off three straight wins, all in optional-claiming races on this course. Mr. Shook set or pressed the pace in those races, all at one mile, and is the likely pacesetter in the Hasta La Vista.

◗ Bootytama, a 2-year-old daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, appears the one to beat in the five-furlong Turf Paradise Spring Futurity. Owned by Jeremy Ramsland and trained by Molly Pearson, she easily won her trial race here April 13 in the fastest time for the trials. Her rivals include trial winner Arizona Sun, and the second- and third-place finishers in Bootytama’s trial win, Revykyroan and By the Way.

◗ The Arizona racing scene shifts north to Arizona Downs – formerly known as Yavapai Downs – for a season that runs May 24 through Sept. 2. Live racing returns to Turf Paradise in October.