Bourbon Bay bags a scintillating win in the San Juan Capistrano Stakes at Santa Anita
Highly favoured for the Grade 2, $150,000 San Juan Capistrano, Bourbon Bay, did not disappoint in the longest race at Santa Anita Park, and on the closing day of the spring/summer meet, upset minded Eagle Poise was running away with the win, but Bourbon
Bay stayed focus, sized his opponent up and produced one of his dazzling stretch runs to win the turf event on 22 April, 2012.
It was a strange race over the Santa Anita Park’s unique hillside turf course, as the two contenders who battled it out in the end were nowhere near the pace throughout the race.
Even the 5 to 1 shot, Eagle Poise, who was ridden by Alex Solis was way off the mark, and never in the race, until he charged down the Santa Anita turf course, and with him Bourbon Bay under Joel Rosario, inspired by his antagonists run, conjured up a scintillating
run to give the fans a heart pounding finish to the race.
It took the stewards six minutes to decide the winner, and in the end it was the even money choice, Bourbon Bay, who took it by an inch and broke Eagle Poise’s heart in the end.
David Heerensperger owned Bourbon Bay is making these late runs his signature style, as he came well out of things to nab the 1 ½ mile Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes.
Rosario was riding the 6-year-old gelding for the first time, and the pair managed a fine finish with a head win.
A tiger on the Santa Anita turf course, Bourbon Bay was even behind in the San Juan, but turned things on their head to win the race.
“I was probably too far back but I was never worried about it," said Rosario, who was a runaway winner of the jockey title at Santa Anita this season. "He’s a great horse and he can handle this distance well. It was pretty close. Right in the middle of the
race I thought they were probably going a little too quick for the distance. I never panicked and didn’t try to make a move early.”
Tags: