Rivzonaroll leads all the way in Sun Power Stakes

Ageless E.T. Baird put Rivzonaroll onto the lead and steered him into the Hawthorne winner’s circle after the pair went gate to wire in the $75,000 Sun Power Stakes on Saturday.

Baird, 56, has been noted for his work on front-runners throughout his mercurial career and knew exactly what to do with Rivzonaroll. He’d piloted the colt to a front-running Illinois-bred maiden sprint win on Oct. 14, and Rivzonaroll made it two in a row stretching from 5 1/2 furlongs to six furlongs Saturday.

Lookin for Bala pressed the pace and tried to make a run at Rivzonaroll ($9.80) past the eighth pole, but Baird had something saved. The whole field through the final furlong was drastically decelerating going over a loose, tiring racing surface, and Rivzonaroll, off splits of 22.02 and 45.81, slogged through a final furlong in 13.65 seconds to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

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Lookin for Bala finished about six lengths clear of third-place Chi Town Hustler, while favored Tahoe Run was off the bridle at the three-furlong marker and came home sixth.

Larry Rivelli trains Rivzonaroll for Vince Foglia’s Patricia’s Hope and Down the Stretch Racing. Bred by Richard Ravin, Rivzonaroll is part of sire Good Samaritan’s first crop to race and is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare, Ournaughtyescapade.

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