Victory Lap takes Lone Star Oaks

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Victory Lap won her fifth straight race in dominating fashion at Lone Star Park on Saturday, when she drew out to a 14.25 length win in the $100,000 Lone Star Oaks.

Mybrowneyedgal finished second in the mile and a sixteenth turf race, three-quarters of a length in front of third-place finisher Prospectors Spirit.

Victory Lap ($3.60) brushed with a rival at the start, and raced in the second flight as Airizon led the field through fractions of 23 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.57 for the half-mile mark. Victory Lap advanced outside of rivals going into the final turn, unleashed a powerful move soon afterward, and was in command of the race by the quarter pole. She went on to cover the distance over firm turf in 1:44.62.

"The last four times she's gotten into trouble, and I just wanted to have a clean trip with her," said Jamie Theriot, who rode Victory Lap. "I swung her out a little bit and let her do her thing."

The win was one of four on the card for Theriot. As for Victory Lap, she began her win streak on March 2, when she won her maiden at Gulfstream Park. She went on to win a $62,500 claimer at the track on March 28, before moving into this region and the barn of trainer Cole Norman and winning an allowance at Lone Star on May 7, and the $50,000 Chapel Belle Stakes at Louisiana Downs on May 28.

Following the Chapel Belle, John Pucek purchased Victory Lap for an undisclosed sum from Turf Express and Bobby Beck. She earned $60,000 for the win in the Lone Star Oaks, and now has a record of five wins from 12 starts and career earnings of $150,957. She is a daughter of Touch Gold.

Victory Lap's win margin was the biggest of the meet, and largest in the history of the Lone Star Oaks.

First stakes win for 'Strings'

Santana Strings set a stakes record in the $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup earlier on the card on Saturday, when he won the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds in 1:08.52.

War Bridled finished two lengths back in second, while it was another three and a quarter lengths in third to Logan's Draw.

Santana Strings broke well, and pushed War Bridled through fractions of 22.14 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.48 seconds for the half-mile mark. Santana Strings moved out into the stretch, and rolled home under Roman Chapa, who was pleased with the good break in the Alysheba.

"From there on, I was just a passenger," said Chapa, who rode the winner for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Santana Strings paid $3.60 as the favorite, and earned $60,000 for the victory, which was his first in a stakes. Overall, he has won three of 10 starts and $205,840. He is a son of Wheaton and he races for Millennium Farms.

Asmussen has now won three runnings of the Alysheba.