Ridden for the first time by Hector Berrios, Fast Buck broke like a shot and was never headed in taking Saturday's $100,000 Daytona Stakes (G3) by a neck at Santa Anita.
Trained and co-owned by Cesar DeAlba, who tallied his first graded win, Fast Buck got about 6½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:11.68.
A gate-to-wire second condition allowance winner going six furlongs out of Santa Anita's turf chute, Fast Buck rocketed through an opening quarter mile in “21.05, and a half mile in :42.62 as held a six-length advantage at the quarter pole en route to an interior split going six furlongs in 1:05.58.
“The trainer told me to just keep moving him and not let him think,” said Berrios. “That's what I did, I took him to the lead and I kept him moving until the wire. I knew I was the winner, the last eighth, I came out a bit to let the other horse (Whatmakessammyrun) catch up a bit and my horse responded really well.”
Off the board in two prior hillside engagements, Fast Buck, a 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Gallant Son out of Zorra Roja, by Falstaff, was off at 2-1 in a field of seven older horses and paid $6.20 for the win.
“He made me nervous, he was going fast,” said DeAlba, who got his first-ever Santa Anita stakes win. “But that was the plan, to go to the lead and see if we can hang on. If you (watch) maybe the last sixteenth or the last eighth, Hector Berrios kind of moved him out to look for the other horse and he said once he saw (him), he dug back in. He is a good rider.”
DeAlba co-owns Fast Buck with by Zephyr Racing LLC and Peter Cruz. The dark bay runner, who is out of the Falstaff mare Zorra Roja, got his first stakes win and his fifth win from nine overall starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $275,474.
The favorite at 3-2 with Joe Bravo, Whatmakessammyrun couldn't get up in time and finished a head in front of Lovesick Blues.
Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Lovesick Blues was up for third money by one length over Burnin Turf.
Fast Buck was bred by Daehling Ranch LLC.
The post Fast Buck Rockets Gate To Wire For Daytona Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
