Zeki earns fourth straight win with Cyclones Handicap triumph

ALTOONA, Iowa – Pacesetting Zeki and jockey Shane Laviolette merrily skipped along over a sealed, muddy track and bounded well clear for an emphatic 8 1/4-length win in Saturday night's $84,000 Cyclones Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile event for Iowa-breds.

Zeki fended off a brief challenge from the 3-2 favorite Wolf Pack Jack on the far turn and drew off from the race's defending champ, Ice Hockey, who had rallied into second. Cainam, Zeki's Jon Arnett-trained and James R. Leech-owned entry-mate who won the race in 2011 and 2012, went past tired rivals in the stretch and wound up third in the field of eight.

Zeki, a 4-year-old Mutakddim gelding who recorded his fourth straight win and first stakes triumph, earned $50,400 for Leech, who also bred him. The winning entry returned $7.00 as the second choice.

Arnett's excellent meet continued as he ran his local record to 18 for 59, and Laviolette, who garnered his third stakes win of the season, now is 28 for 177.

Zeki covered the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.56.