Lone Rock survives rough trip, takes Temperence Hill

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Lone Rock got back to his comfort zone with the return to a marathon distance in the $150,000 Temperence Hill on Sunday at Oaklawn Park, but the trip was far from comfortable.

“He had a rough trip,” winning trainer Robertino Diodoro said.

Lone Rock ($4) raced along the rail as stablemate Goalie took the field through fractions of 24.17 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.18 for the half-mile. Into the second turn of the three-turn race over 1 1/2 miles, Lone Rock hit the rail when in tight behind his stablemate and lost his momentum. The eventual winner took over down the backside through six furlongs in 1:12.97 and continued to lead through a mile in 1:38.88 before covering the distance on a fast track in 2:30.82.

“I thought the horse showed a lot of guts down the lane,” Diodoro said.

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Ramon Vazquez was aboard Lone Rock, a son of Majestic Warrior who races for Flying P Stable and R A Hill Stable.

Lone Rock won by a neck over Last Samurai, while it was another two lengths back in third to Tenfold. Lone Rock won the $200,000 Tinsel over 1 1/8 miles in December at Oaklawn. He came into the Temperence Hill off a sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Razorback over 1 1/16 miles in February at Oaklawn.

Last year, Lone Rock established himself as an elite marathon horse, among his wins the Grade 2 Brooklyn at Belmont Park and Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar.

“He’s a lot of fun,’ Diodoro said. “It’s not too often a horse takes the whole team from Oaklawn Park to Churchill Downs to Belmont to Saratoga to Del Mar.”

Diodoro said Lone Rock will be considered for the $160,000 Isaac Murphy Marathon over 1 1/2 miles on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Lone Rock has now won 15 of 39 starts for earnings of $1,242,641.

The Temperence Hill continued the $5.4 million Racing Festival of the South, in which Oaklawn features a number of major stakes over the month of April.