Hit the Road takes Zuma Beach to give Blacker first Santa Anita stakes win

ARCADIA, Calif. – A delayed stakes debut by Hit the Road turned out to be worth the wait.

After missing the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 1 because of illness, Hit the Road won Sunday’s $100,702 Zuma Beach Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile on turf at Santa Anita with a wide rally.

Ridden for the first time by Victor Espinoza, Hit the Road ($16.60) won by 2 1/4 lengths over 17-1 War Beast, finishing in 1:34.33. He earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 76.

“It was nice,” Espinoza said. “It’s the first time I’ve been on the horse. I’m impressed the way he ran the whole way.”

The win could lead to a start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at a mile on Nov. 1, trainer Dan Blacker said.

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Espinoza did not intend to be last on the first turn, but had to adjust Hit the Road’s position on the first turn to avoid traffic issues. Hit the Road stalked the pace on the backstretch before giving Espinoza a quick response on the turn.

“He recovered so quickly,” Espinoza said. “He had such a good turn of foot. In three jumps, I was right with those horses.”

War Beast, the winner of a maiden special weight race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 1, finished a neck in front of 7-2 Billy Batts, who was second in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile on turf.

Encoder, the 9-10 favorite who won the Del Mar Juvenile Turf, faded through the stretch to finish fourth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths.

“He looks like he didn’t go on,” trainer John Sadler said. “We’ll probably drop him back to shorter.”

Hariboux finished fifth in his American debut, followed by Club Aspen and Cool Runnings.

Hit the Road, by More Than Ready, has won 2 of 3 starts and earned $96,951 for the partnership of DK Racing, Radley Equine, Taste of Victory Stables, and Rick Gold.

The Zuma Beach Stakes was the first stakes win at Santa Anita for Blacker, 37.

Blacker said Hit the Road missed the Del Mar Juvenile Turf because of a cough after the colt underwent light training that morning.

“If he hadn’t trained and I hadn’t scoped him, he might have gotten sick,” Blacker said. “He’s matured all summer. He’s got the mind of an older horse.”