Lunar Impact earns first stakes victory. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
On Sunday, there’s a $45,806 carryover in the $2 Pick 6. Total pool is expected to exceed $500,000
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.— Making her first start in nearly 10 months, Lunar Impact rolled to a powerful five-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Mizdirection Stakes for older fillies and mares sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.
Lunar Impact, who hadn’t started since July 21 at Del Mar, broke in front under Hector Berrios and was never headed en route to earning her first stakes victory. Bet down to the 5-2 favorite, Lunar Impact set fractions of 22.98, 45.57 and 1:07.63 before crossing the wire the easiest of winners in a time of 1:13.69.
“The break was perfect.,” Berrios said. “Going down the hill she’d feel another filly and go, then would relax. When we got to the stretch, I made a little move on her and she responded very nice. I looked at the infield screen in the stretch and when I saw the horses behind me I just thought ‘wow.’”
Uncorked (5-1) finished a distant second followed by Venganza (9-2) and longshot Valence (29-1).
Lunar Impact is trained by Dan Blacker. Bred in Great Britain, the 5-year-old mare by Zoustar improved to 11: 4-0-1 with $210,860 in earnings for owners D K Racing LLC, Qatar Racing LLC, et. al. In two previous stakes tries, both last year, Lunar Impact was a close-up fourth in the Wishing Well sprinting down the hill in February and finished off the board in the one-mile Osunitas at Del Mar before hitting the sidelines.
“We always thought very highly of her,” Blacker said. “It is just very vindicating today to come back off the layoff and reward the owners for being patient. You have to start with talent. She’s a runner, so you have to just nurse her along and get her fit without taking too much. She is just well bred and is by a champion stallion (Zoustar). That’s a good start. I’m really thankful to the ownership. It is a great combination and I’m really happy for the whole team. “
Lunar Impact paid $7.00, $4.00 and $3.20. Uncorked, ridden by Kazushi Kimura for trainer Phil D’Amato, returned $6.20 and $4.40. Venganza, with Antonio Fresu aboard for trainer Richard Mandella, paid $3.80.
On Sunday, Santa Anita hosts a 10-race card starting at 1 p.m. PT. Adding to the program is a $45,806 carryover in the $2 Pick Six after no one successfully navigated Saturday’s sequence. Track officials estimate the total pool to exceed $500,000. Entries for Sunday’s program are available at Santaanita.com.
