Hastings: Devil in Disguise overcomes traffic trouble to take River Rock Casino

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Despite having to check sharply on the stretch turn, Devil in Disguise scored a convincing 4 1/2-length win over The Gov in the $50,000 River Rock Casino Stakes for 3-year-olds at Hastings on Saturday.

Devil in Disguise was sent off as the heavy favorite in the six-horse field and paid $3.70.

With Fernando Perez in the irons, Devil in Disguise looked comfortable sitting in third while The Gov was carving out honest fractions of 23.60 and 47.20 seconds with Clear the Runway stalking. Perez tried to get through along the rail approaching the stretch turn but was forced to steady. After regrouping, Devil in Disguise made a strong move while going three-wide around the stretch turn and by the time they had straightened out the only question was what the winning margin was going to be. After being passed by Clear the Runway, The Gov fought back to finish second.

The final time for 1 1/16 miles over a track rated sloppy was 1:44.96.

Devil in Disguise is trained by Troy Taylor and owned by Glen Todd. Joining them for the celebration in the winner’s circle was Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another’s jockey, Mario Gutierrez, a close friend of Todd and Taylor.