Sharkzilla goes last to first to upset Auburn Stakes
Sharkzilla paid $37 for his one-length win over So Lucky in the $50,000 Auburn Stakes at Emerald Downs on Sunday. With 43-1 shot Sure Sweet finishing third the $1 superfecta returned $13,783.
Sharkzilla broke a step slow in the six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and trailed the field while So Lucky was posting swift interior fractions of 21.25 and 43. 41 seconds. With Erick Lopez riding, Sharkzilla started to get in touch with the field while making a six-wide move on the stretch turn. Once he straightened out he finished full of run and caught So Lucky in the final yards. Sure Sweet came from a stalking position to finish third.
“I had to get after him sooner than I wanted so that’s why he went so wide on the turn,” said Lopez. “It worked out, though.”
The final time over the fast track was 1:08.92.
Sharkzilla is trained by Candi Tollet and owned by John Parker. It was the first stakes win for the California-bred son of Distorted Reality.