Lone Star Park

Lasting Bubbles on best track for Wayne Hanks Memorial

Randy Goulding|Apr 09, 2015

Lasting Bubbles wins the Zia Park Distaff

Coady Photography Lasting Bubbles won the Zia Park Distaff last time out.

With five wins and one second-place finish from six starts, Lasting Bubbles has been just about unbeatable on the main track at Lone Star Park. The 7-year-old homebred mare by Pulling Punches figures to embellish her record Saturday evening in the $50,000 Wayne Hanks Memorial at Lone Star.

The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for Texas-bred fillies and mares drew six horses and headlines a nine-race card that begins at 6:35 p.m. Central.

Trained by Kevin Peek, Lasting Bubbles is looking for her first win since easily handling Lady Contender in the $81,000 Zia Distaff going six furlongs Nov. 26 at Zia Park. She ran well in her next two starts but lost as the favorite in back-to-back stakes at Sunland Park and Sam Houston. In her most recent race, she rallied in the middle of a sloppy track to finish fourth behind Spring Included in the $100,000 Spring Fever at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 21. Spring Included repeated April 8 in the $100,000 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn.

Lasting Bubbles drew the rail, from where she also won the Zia Distaff. She will be ridden by Iram Diego for the first time.

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Key contenders

Lasting Bubbles (Last 3 Beyers: 78-75-74)

* The multiple stakes winner with 10 wins and $373,418 in earnings is easily the class of the field. She is versatile and can either take them all the way if she breaks alertly or stalk what should be an honest pace. Last year, she forced the pace while winning the Wayne Hanks Memorial by 4 1/4 lengths.

Early Fantasy (Last 3 Beyers: 57-76-63)

* The Andrew Konkoly trainee could get a nice trip from a stalking position. She upset Lasting Bubbles in the $50,000 Yellow Rose while receiving five pounds. In a big shift in the weights, she will be carrying the high weight of 123 pounds and giving Lasting Bubbles four pounds Saturday.

Scooter’s Choice (Last 3 Beyers: 43-53-76)

* Trained by Bret Calhoun, she runs well fresh and may have tipped her hand when she worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.80 seconds from the gate March 27. According to DRF’s Formulator, Calhoun has a 23 percent strike rate with horses coming off a layoff of 180 days or more over the past five years.