Maiden King

Trainer Mike Harrington wishes every field was as soft at the one Towser beat in the 8th on Thursday.

Most races for Southern California maidens are fairly competitive with at least half the field eligible to win. However, that was not the case in Thursday’s eighth race, which had an 11-horse field.

After #11 Ministerfrommiami was scratched when running off at the gate, realistically this was just a two-horse race. And in what race caller Trevor Denman termed “a romp,” #10 Towser won to nobody’s surprise at 3-to-5.

Other than first-time starter #8 Danceuponthestars, the field was full of colts and geldings that typically dawdled out of the gate and offered no rally. The past performances for these horse were full of single digit speed figures and Beyer donuts.

As the race began, Towser shot to the front with #2 Bartok’s Bonus pressing the pace from the inside. Jockey Mike Smith, who sat with #8 Danceuponthestars in third place, was probably hoping Towser got tired.

But in the stretch, Towser pulled away to win by 5-1/2 lengths. The real race was for second where Bartok’s Bonus, who ran his eyeballs out at 19-to-1, got nailed on the wire by Danceuponthestars.

I lost $200 on Danceuponthestars at 4/1.

To watch a replay of this race, go to www.calracing.com.

PGM PP# NAME JOCKEY TRAINER ODDS FN 2 1 Bartok’s Bonus (CA) Sorenson D Meredith D 19.40 3 3 2 My Royal Cat (CA) Santiago Reyes C Polanco M 11.80 6 4 3 Venito (CA) Atkinson P Mendoza J 55.70 10 5 4 Warrens Temptation (CA) Quinonez A Gutierrez J 14.70 5 6 5 El Ranchero (CA) Stra K Craigmyle K 17.90 8 7 6 Mr. Collen (CA) Kaenel K Polanco M 40.40 7 8 7 Danceuponthestars (CA) Smith M Moger, Jr. E 4.10 2 9 8 Quillotano (CA) Delgadillo A Sierra C 45.10 11 1 9 Lucero Negro (CA) Blanc B Zamora R 23.60 4 10 10 Towser (CA) Baze M Harrington M 0.60 1 12 11 El Chapo (CA) Arambula P Gonzalez F 39.50 9 SCR – Ministerfrommiami (CA) Baze T Sadler J – – SCR – Google Me (CA) Garcia M Zamora R – –

Pgm Win Place Show 10 $3.20 $2.20 $2.20 8 – $3.40 $3.00 2 – – $6.00   Exotic Payoffs $1.00 Consolation Pick 3 paid $22.50 (3-7-11) $1.00 Exacta paid $5.20 (10-8) $1.00 Pick 3 paid $39.80 (3-7-10) $1.00 Pick 4 paid $186.90 (1-3/9/10/11-7-10/11) $1.00 Place Pick All paid $2972.70 (8 OF 8) $1.00 Super High Five paid $502.00 (10-8-2-1-5) $1.00 Superfecta paid $202.30 (10-8-2-1) $1.00 Trifecta paid $36.60 (10-8-2) $2.00 Consolation Double paid $5.80 (7-11) $2.00 Daily Double paid $13.40 (7-10) $2.00 Pick 6 paid $13456.40 (8-11-1-3/9/10/11-7-10 $2.00 Pick 6 paid $154.00 (8-11-1-3/9/10/11-7-10/1 $2.00 Quinella paid $7.00 (8-10) Fractional Times 22.83, 46.65, 58.85, 1:05.36