Steady Rollin completes sweep for Parker

ALBANY, Calif. - Owner Ronald Parker had never won a stakes race in California with a horse he solely owned before the weekend. After Steady Rollin won Sunday's $55,500 Sutter Stakes at Golden Fields, he had two stakes victories.

His Runaway Ab won the Corte Madera Stakes on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.

Steady Rollin ($12.80) won the six-furlong Sutter by one and one-half lengths over Mighty David in 1:10.51 over a sloppy track.

Steady Rollin had to overcome trouble twice in the race.

He broke sharply and engaged in a duel down the backstretch with Fertile, a stakes-winning filly making her first start in seven months. As they headed into the turn and he started to switch leads, he slipped and bobbled, almost hitting the fence.

Approaching the quarter pole, jockey Russell Baze eased Steady Rollin out, and he seemed to lose momentum when hit in the face by mud. Mighty Dave moved inside him and got in front of him, but Steady Rollin took off when straightened out and won.

"We've always thought this is a real good horse," said trainer James. K. Chapman, who picked the colt out at the September 2000 Keeneland Sale in Kentucky and paid $13,000 for him.

Chapman said Steady Rollin, who has won both of his starts, would return to Santa Anita. No plans have been made for his next start.

Parker has owned horses in partnerships for the past seven years, but Runaway Ab and Steady Rollin are among the 20 he now owns individually after retiring from private industry four months ago.