Final Boss leads every step of the way in the Cinema (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.— Final Boss went straight to the lead under Juan Hernandez and was never challenged on his way to a first stakes win in Sunday’s $100,000 Cinema Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf Sunday at Santa Anita.
Dispatched as the even-money favorite, Final Boss prevailed by 1 ¾ lengths over Blue Eyed George (4-1). It was another 1 ¼ lengths back to 2-1 second choice British Isles (2-1) in third.
Trained by John Sadler, Final Boss entered off a similar front-running victory at 1 1/8 miles on turf in a first-level allowance/optional claimer on May 12.
“He was on the lead last time and he felt really comfortable. So today it was the same plan. Just get out of the gate,” Hernandez said. “I think I had a really nice lead. I was telling Juan Leyva (Sadler’s assistant) that my horse today was feeling really firm, like he had a lot of power. I felt it on the backside, he was pulling he was trying to run.”
Final Boss set fractions of 23.27, 47.38, 1:10.49 and 1:34.75 for a mile before crossing the wire in 1:46.62.
“He is such a nice horse, he jumped out of the gate, and he was more than ready to win this race,” Hernandez said. “When I asked him around the quarter pole to pick it up, he picked it up and he didn’t want to stop. He just wanted to win today.”
This was the third attempt at a stakes win for Final Boss, who is owned by Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds. The 3-year-old American Pharoah colt previously was fourth in the Baffle Stakes sprinting down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in February and was fifth in the one-mile Eddie Logan on turf in December at Del Mar.
“He reminds me a little bit of (multiple stakes winner) Kings River Knight,” Sadler said. “He’s been getting some good trips on the turf. He got out and stumbled a little bit but recovered quickly. Once he got cruising around there, we felt pretty good. He rated nicely and l he looked like he improved off his last race which is what I like.”
Final Boss improved to 7: 3-1-0 with $151,500 in earnings. He was purchased for $450,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Final Boss paid $4.00, $2.40 and $2.10 for the popular victory. Runner-up Blue Eyed George, ridden by Umberto Rispoli for trainer Michael McCarthy, returned $3.60 and $2.40. British Isles, with Antonio Fresu up for trainer Richard Baltas, paid $2.40 to show.
