Prime Ruler upsets in Foothill Stakes

A ground-saving trip under Martin Pedroza produced an upset in Monday's $64,350 Foothill Stakes at Fairplex. Prime Ruler stayed inside, cut the corner into the stretch, and won over two rivals who lost significant ground rallying wide. The runner-up, I'm All Out, hung after a six-wide rally, while Lit'sgoodlookngray finished a length farther back in third after a four-wide rally.

The economical ride by Pedroza, the track's all-time leading jockey with 494 wins, led to a $53.20 payoff on Prime Ruler in the 6 1/2-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds. Barbecue Eddie, the even-money favorite, was pressured through a fast early pace (21.70 and 45.38 seconds) and finished a weary seventh. Prime Ruler, now 3 for 9, is trained by Chris Paasch and owned by Charles Cono.

The upset by Prime Ruler was one of two large payoffs in late races Monday, creating an unusual payoff in the late pick four. Despite a sizable pool of $166,059, no tickets had four winners, and the wager paid $350.80 to tickets with three winners. The sequence included All Pro ($97.60), Las Vegas Lucky ($6.40 as the favorite), Prime Ruler, and Sumatra's Hope ($9.80).