Story to Tell scores in Willard Proctor Memorial

CYPRESS, Calif.- The experience of Story to Tell prevailed over the upstart maiden race winner Bad Read Sanchez in Sunday’s $98,000 Williard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes for 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos.

Making his second appearance in a stakes, Story to Tell ($5.20) won the six-furlong race by 1 1/4 lengths over Bad Read Sanchez, who won his debut at Santa Anita on June 20 by 10 lengths.

Story to Tell was second to Wake Up Nick in the Santa Anita Juvenile on June 22, dropping back on the turn before closing well through the stretch in that race over 5 1/2 furlongs. In the Proctor Stakes, Story to Tell had an ideal trip under jockey Joe Talamo, finishing in 1:10.28.

Winning trainer Dan Hendricks said after the Proctor that Story to Tell should be a two-time stakes winner.

“The way he dropped back on the turn cost him the race,” Hendricks said. “He made up a lot of ground at Santa Anita.”

Peradventure, a maiden race winner at Santa Anita on June 27, finished third in the Proctor, well clear of the first-time starter Litigation Road. Wake Up Nick and the maiden race winner Henry’s Holiday were scratched.

Story to Tell races for Cecil Peacock, and was purchased for $200,000 at the Barretts March sale of 2-year-olds in-training earlier this year. Hendricks said the Proctor Stakes was a meaningful win for him because Willard Proctor helped him get a start in racing.

“I wanted to win the race,” Hendricks said. “Proctor was my first job on the track and got me where I am now. He put up with a 16- and 17-year-old.”

Story to Tell, by Bluegrass Cat, has won 2 of 3 starts and $118,600. Hendricks said that Story to Tell will be considered for the $200,000 Best Pal Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 3, but is more likely to be held out for the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs on Sept. 3.

“We’ll see how he comes out of it,” Hendricks said. “If he comes out of it well, we’ll run him back” in the Best Pal.