Majestic City all the way in Lone Star Park Handicap

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Majestic City rolled out new tactics Monday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap, bounding to a front-running, two-length win over 4-5 favorite Carve in the co-richest race of the meet. It was another length back to Tapiture in third.

The Lone Star Park Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, was scratched down to a field of five with the defection of Texas Air, who earlier in the meet won the Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile. The race Monday went off more than an hour later than scheduled after a rainstorm moved into the area in the middle of the card. The storm forced the fifth race to be delayed as officials waited for lightning to pass. The track was sloppy and sealed for the Lone Star, and the race was run under the lights.

Majestic City ($15), who had been sitting off the pace in his recent starts, broke well in the Lone Star and dueled with Cy Seven through fractions of 24.01 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.06 for the half-mile. The eventual winner then withstood a challenge from Carve and went on in the stretch to cover the distance in 1:43.31.

“He ran his race,” said Richard Baltas, who trains Majestic City. “We had this horse for about 45 days, maybe a little longer than that, and I looked at his old races, and it seemed like he wants to be up there on the lead or into the race.”

Chuck Lopez was aboard Majestic City for Bloom Racing Stable, which recently transferred the horse to Baltas. Lopez said he liked how the race developed for Majestic City.

“I was never worried,” he said. “He was going easy enough.”

Lopez added that Majestic City showed grit when challenged by Carve.

Baltas said Majestic City, who invaded from Southern California, will return to Santa Anita.

“We’re going to give him a little rest now the next couple of weeks, regroup, see how he comes out of the race,” Baltas said. “We’re very happy. These are new clients for me, and I’m grateful they’ve given me an opportunity with a very nice horse.”

Jeffrey Bloom of Bloom Racing received the trophy Monday at Lone Star.

“We got the Lone Star Handicap!” he said in the winner’s circle. “This means so much to us. It’s a great day.”

Majestic City was winning the fourth stakes race of his career and the second graded one behind the Grade 3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship in 2011. In that race, he was prominent from the start. Majestic City, a 6-year-old by City Zip, has now won five of 25 starts. He earned $125,000 for the win to lift his career bankroll to $579,210.

Majestic City was bred in Kentucky by Trackside Farm, Robert Evans, and Helen Evans.