He's So Zazzy, River Jewel sweep stakes for Francisco Bravo

The trainer Francisco Bravo was sending live runners throughout the opening three-day week of the Canterbury Park meeting, especially so in the pair of stakes races on Sunday.

Bravo won the $41,000 L’Etoile du Nord with River Jewel in race 2 and completed a stakes sweep when He’s So Zazzy romped in race 7, the $41,400 Paul Bunyan.

He’s So Zazzy went straight to the front under Geovanni Franco and never had an anxious moment. He set what might have been demanding splits of 22.02 seconds, 44.65, and 56.81 but, after floating several paths off the rail coming into the homestretch, cruised home with a final furlong in a solid 12.39 seconds to clock 1:09.20 for six furlongs on a fast-playing track. The 9-5 favorite Pistone Steel was left reeling in second, a half-length in front of John’s Luck.

He’s So Zazzy ($9.80) won for the third time in five starts and is on a three-race winning streak after losing his first two starts at Remington Park. He cleared the maiden ranks in a Sam Houston turf sprint, and then won a Texas-bred dirt allowance race there Feb. 27 before getting a break leading to the Paul Bunyan. A Pamela Wright homebred, He’s So Zazzy is by the Pulpit stallion Oratory and out of the mare Super Delicious.

River Jewel, under Dean Butler, didn’t run as fast as her stablemate and had to work harder to win the L’Etoile du Nord. River Jewel also went to the lead, setting splits of 21.81 and 44.73 before Jeana Baby ranged up three wide turning for home and took the lead for about a half-furlong. But River Jewel continued on bravely, regained the advantage in the final furlong, and pushed out to win by one length. Jeana Baby finished more than 15 lengths ahead of third-place Triple Chelsea.

River Jewel was timed in 1:10.44 and paid $3.60 as the heavy favorite. Bred in Oklahoma by Robert Wayne Garrett, the daughter of Indy Express and Jansy won for the second time in three races.