Magic Mark upsets Bertrando Stakes

CYPRESS, Calif. – Magic Mark fooled Drayden Van Dyke at the top of the stretch of Thursday’s $110,880 Bertrando Stakes at Los Alamitos.

Magic Mark was well placed near the front, but closely followed by several runners.

“I thought I was beat turning for home,” Van Dyke said.

Racing close to the lead has its advantages at Los Alamitos. Magic Mark sustained his effort and won the first stakes of his career in the Bertando Stakes for California-bred milers. The Bertrando Stakes was the featured race on the opening day of the Los Alamitos summer meeting.

Magic Mark ($24.80) ran a mile in 1:35.50, finishing 1 1/4 lengths in front of Ambitious Brew.

“We had a perfect trip, and he was nice and relaxed,” Van Dyke said.

Ambitious Brew, a 7-1 shot, was clear of third-place finisher Old Man Lake, a 20-1 outsider. Alert Bay, the 7-5 favorite, finished fourth of nine after a wide trip.

Magic Mark’s win ended a seven-race losing streak dating back to an optional claimer at Santa Anita in June 2014. In his only previous start at Los Alamitos, Magic Mark was third in the minor American Flag Stakes here last July.

Trained by Ron Ellis, Magic Mark races for owners and breeders Dorine and John Lanza. A 5-year-old gelding by Benchmark, Magic Mark has won 5 of 14 starts and earned $258,734.

“I thought at the head of the stretch he was in deep water,” Ellis said. “He gives it his all. He needs things to go right.”

Opening-day handle increases

Thursday’s eight-race program showed growth in ontrack and all-sources handle compared to the corresponding day at the 2014 summer meeting.

Thursday’s all-sources handle, including simulcasting and account-wagering sources, was $5,392,680, according to track officials. The 2014 all-sources handle was $4,580,023. Ontrack handle rose from $531,609 in 2014 to $541,636 on Thursday.

The 2014 summer meeting was the first at Los Alamitos since the closure of Hollywood Park at the end of 2013. Los Alamitos ran three brief meetings in 2014 – in July, September, and December – and has a similar schedule in place this year.

Attendance was not as strong, dropping from 5,702 in 2014 to 2,552 on Thursday.