Tejano Twist's stretch rally pays off in Whitmore Stakes
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Favored Tejano Twist took advantage of a hot pace and came with a sustained rally in the stretch to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Whitmore Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Oaklawn Park.
Miles Ahead got up for second, three-quarters of a length in front of pace-prompting Edge to Edge. It was six lengths back to Spankster, who was followed in the order of finish by Morello, Pirate Rick, Flash of Mischief, Cogburn, Baytown Bear and Empire of Gold.
The win was the ninth from 22 starts for Tejano Twist and first in a graded stakes. He has won four of his last five starts including the Steel Valley Sprint at Mahoning Valley. He was coming off a second-place finish to Gunite in the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn. Gunite came back to run a good second to champion sprinter Elite Power in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 25 and will be among the favorites in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 25 at Meydan.
The win was one of two on Saturday’s card for trainer Chris Hartman, who is enjoying a spectacular Oaklawn meet with 30 wins from 92 starters, good for second in the standings behind only Robertino Diodoro. It was Hartman’s first graded stakes win since Alsvid won the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs in 2016. Hartman had won 25 listed stakes in between.
Under Francisco Arrieta, Tejano Twist was ninth early, but saving ground while Cogburn and Edge to Edge duked it out through an opening quarter in 22.22 seconds. Arrieta asked Tejano Twist to advance three furlongs out, had to angle five-wide around the turn, but the horse responded and sustained his bid through the lane. He took over from Edge to Edge inside the sixteenth pole and drew clear.
Tejano Twist, a son of Practical Joke owned by Jackie Slawson’s JD Thoroughbreds and Joey Keith Davis, covered the six furlongs in 1:09.27 and returned $5.80 as the favorite.
“He broke well, for him anyway,” Hartman said in a post-race interview. “He kicked hard today, ran a really good race.”
Hartman also trained the third-place finisher, Edge to Edge.
Hartman said Tejano Twist would most likely come back in the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn on April 15.
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