Last Samurai notches first stakes triumph with Poinsettia
Last Samurai has come to hand for his connections over the past few months and on Saturday at Oaklawn he became a stakes winner after a stretch battle with Super Stock in the $150,000 Poinsettia.
Last Samurai won by three-quarters of a length, while Super Stock finished a length in front of pacesetter Flash of Mischief. Defeater, the favorite, finished fourth.
The Poinsettia was a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. The new stakes was created to help usher in December racing at Oaklawn.
Last Samurai ($10.20), who was backing up in distance from 1 1/4 miles, settled in fourth as Flash of Mischief set uncontested fractions of 23.90 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.40 for the half-mile and 1:13.65 for six furlongs. Last Samurai picked up the tempo on the final turn, moved into contention, and fought to the line while covering the distance on a fast track in 1:43.70.
“I was just doing all I could possibly do to fend off my competitors,” winning rider Jon Court said in a post-race interview broadcast by Oaklawn.
Dallas Stewart trains Last Samurai for the Arkansas-based owner Willis Horton. The horse was the early favorite in the wagering, and owned the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 92, for his third-place finish in a second-level allowance route Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs.
One start prior, Last Samurai ran second in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at Parx Racing. He is a son of Malibu Moon and has now won 3 of 12 starts for earnings of $312,744.
The Poinsettia was the second stakes win on the day for Stewart, who sent out Unified Report to capture the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile at Fair Grounds.
Oaklawn will wrap up its second week of racing Sunday.