White Spar wins Arizona Stallion Stakes battle

White Spar showed he is not just a dirt horse and not just a sprinter as the 3-year-old gelding captured Saturday's $45,000 Arizona Stallion Stakes at Turf Paradise.

Owned by Dennis Weir and trained by Kevin Lewis, White Spar was sent off the 1-2 favorite going about 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf for 3-year-olds sired by an Arizona stallion. He prompted the early pace of Bjorklund to the backstretch, and then he and Stormy Highland, the second choice, went head and head from there to the wire. White Spar, with Sandi Gann aboard, was on the inside with Stormy Highland at his throat all the way home on the outside, with White Spar eventually prevailing by a neck. Gann was coming back after five weeks on the sidelines recovering from injuries sustained in a spill.

Stormy Highland was a game second, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Oak Flat in third in the field of seven.

White Spar ran the distance in 1:30.38 and paid $3. The winner's share of $25,000 pushes his career earnings to $80,132 from 3 wins in 6 starts.