Sunlit Song surges in Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Sunlit Song continued to assert himself as one of the region’s top turf horses Sunday when he won the fourth stakes of his career and 11th race overall in the $50,000 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Lone Star Park.
The race was one of five restricted stakes on the card. The races were worth a cumulative $350,000.
Sunlit Song ($2.60) settled just off pacesetter Beta Lake, as that one took the field through fractions of 24.60 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.14 for the half-mile and 1:13.09 for six furlongs in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Texas. Sunlit Song closed in on the leader on the final turn, overtook him and went on to cover the distance on firm turf in 1:42.35.
“I like this horse a lot,” winning rider David Cabrera said in a post-race interview broadcast by Lone Star. “I let him do his own thing. He was relaxed. We were sitting second. I was like, ‘Man, they’re going so slow.’ We were sitting up there perfect. It’s nice to ride a horse like this.”
Sunlit Song won by two lengths over Moojab Jr. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back in third to Gottherightonebaby.
Mindy Willis trains Sunlit Song, whose stakes wins have come in Texas and Oklahoma. The son of My Golden Song races for Carolyn Barnett and Becky Harding. Barnett bred Sunlit Song. The horse came into the Texas Hall of Fame Stakes off a Lone Star allowance win over Grade 2 winner Harvey Wallbanger.
Sunlit Song has now won 11 of 28 starts and has earnings of $383,497.
The Texas Hall of Fame is expected to produce starters for the $75,000 Assault on July 10 at Lone Star. Last year, Sunlit Song won the Assault.
*** Boerne ($11.20) was always prominent to win the $75,000 Lane’s End Danny Shifflett Scholarship Stakes, the female counterpart to the Texas Hall of Fame. She won by 1 1/4 lengths over Zarelda. There was another length back in third to Shes Our Fastest.
Boerne raced with the pace through fractions of 23.25 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.71 for the half-mile and 1:10.41 for six furlongs. She went on to win the 7 1/2-furlong turf race for fillies and mares bred in Texas in 1:28.83.
Ramon Vazquez was aboard Boerne for De Luca and Sons and trainer Robertino Diodoro. The daughter of Fed Biz has now won 5 of 13 starts for earnings of $206,495.
*** The card Sunday included a pair of $75,000 divisions of the Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-olds at five furlongs.
Tengo Mis Papeles ($2.60) captured the Staunch Avenger division for colts and geldings in his career debut, cruising by 9 3/4 lengths over Pickingupstrangers.
The field was scratched down to four horses.
Tengo Mis Papeles broke like a shot, and was soon joined on the front end by Pinky Ring Bling. The pair dueled through an opening quarter in 23.03 seconds before Tango Mis Papeles began to move away from his pace rival and the rest of the field, covering the distance on a fast track in 59.97 seconds.
Reylu Gutierrez was aboard Tengo Mis Papeles for trainer Bret Calhoun. The son of My Golden Song races for Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.
Eagle Express ($6) won her maiden in the Pan Zareta division for fillies when she shuttled home by five lengths over It’s a Gee Thing.
Eagle Express broke on top and tracked the pace in second before taking over in the stretch and going on to cover the distance in 58.82 seconds. Stewart Elliott was aboard the homebred daughter of Eagle for Will Farish and trainer Steve Asmussen.
Farish, Asmussen and Elliott struck again one race later, when Direct Dial forged past Mr Money Bags in the later stages to win his second consecutive $75,000 Wayne Hanks Memorial. It was the third stakes win on the year for Direct Dial, who was the Texas-bred horse of the year in 2018. Mr Money Bags earned that same title in 2019.
The Wayne Hanks was a 6 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Texas.
Direct Dial ($7.20) sat just off Mr Money Bags along the rail, as that one jumped out to the lead and set fractions of 22.64 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.25 for the half-mile. Direct Dial was angled off the fence into the stretch and took after Mr Money Bags, pushing past that one for a half-length win.
It was another six lengths back in third to Kenai Bob.
Direct Dial covered the distance on a fast track in 1:16.37. The son of Too Much Bling has now won 11 of 29 starts and the first-place check of $45,000 he picked up Sunday pushed his earnings past $500,000.
Racing resumes Monday.