Shimmering Dunes takes to turf

Shimmering Dunes ($12.60) successfully made the transition to turf as he rallied smartly to win Saturday's $48,129 Arizona Stallion Stakes at Turf Paradise.

Owned by Ted and Melissa Ford and trained by Dennis Sowers, Shimmering Dunes bided his time in the 7 1/2-furlong turf race for 3-year-olds, saved ground under Scott Stevens, steadily advanced to reach contention, and finished well along the inside to win by a length. Combo Royale, the 8-5 favorite, stalked the pace, made what appeared to be the winning move in midstretch but couldn't fend off the winner while ending up 3 1/2 lengths clear of third. Classic Gold Rush rallied from well back to get third in the field of 10.

The winner's share of $26,738 pushes Shimmering Dunes's career earnings past $33,000 from 2 wins in 7 starts.