In a competitive field that is brimming with multiple stakes winners, the Sean McCarthy-trained Shaaz garnered the support of the morning-line odds maker who installed him as the 2/1 morning-line favorite for Monday's $400,000-Guaranteed Steve Sexton Mile(G3) at Lone Star Park.
Coming off a win in his last start in an one mile allowance-optional claiming event at Santa Anita in April, the 4-year old colt Shaaz looks to keep his undefeated record intact as he faces nine rivals in the one-mile dirt stakes event. Two starts back, the son of Uncle Mo finished second in his second career start but was awarded first-place after the winner was disqualified.
The colt is a $1.1 million dollar 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In-Training sales graduate that was previously trained by Bob Baffert. Kentucky Derby winning jockey Florent Geroux has the riding assignment from post 8.
Multiple graded stakes winning Rated R Superstar comes into the Steve Sexton Mile (G3) as perhaps the most accomplished of the ten runners going postward in the $400,000-guaranteed event. The 9-year old gelding has been successful with two stakes victories in 2022 from four starts for owner Danny Caldwell and trainer Martin Villafranco. Rated R Superstar has won three graded stakes in his career, and will be handled by jockey Reylu Gutierrez from post position one in the Memorial Day feature.
Other notable runners taking to the Grand Prairie, Texas, race course for the 2022 Steve Sexton Mile (G3) include the 2021 Jeffery A. Hawk Memorial Stakes winner Popular Kid from the barn of trainer Shawn Davis; Delta Mile winner Flash of Mischief; 2020 Southwest Stakes (G3) winner Silver Prospector; 2022 Sunland Park Handicap winner Sheriff Brown; multiple stakes winner Mine That Star; the stakes-placed Tesoro; and Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained Mish.
The field for the 2022 $400,000-Guaranteed Steve Sexton Mile (G3):
- RATED R SUPERSTAR – Reylu Gutierrez – Martin Villafranco – 10/1
- TESORO – Sonny Leon – O.J. Jauregui – 20/1
- MINE THAT STAR – Kelsi Purcell – H. Ray Ashford, Jr. – 20/1
- SHERIFF BROWN – Leandro D. Goncalves – Todd Fincher – 12/1
- ELECTOR – Victor Espinoza – John W. Sadler – 3/1
- MISH – Edwin Gonzalez – Saffie Joseph, Jr. – 7/2
- POPULAR KID – Jose L. Alvarez – Shawn Davis – 15/1
- SHAAZ – Florent Geroux – Sean McCarthy – 2/1
- FLASH OF MISCHIEF – Ry Eikleberry – Karl Broberg – 12/1
- SILVER PROSPECTOR – Stewart Elliot – Steve Asmussen – 12/1
The $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile(G3) is scheduled as the twelfth race on the Memorial Day card with an approximate post time of 7:35 p.m. CST.
The Lone Star Million Day card on Memorial Day at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas contains a total of six stakes events worth a combined purse of $1,200,000. The $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile (G3) headlines the card of stakes events that also includes the $300,000 Texas Derby for 3-year-olds going 8.5f on the dirt, and the $200,000 Quija Board Distaff for fillies and mares going one mile on the turf. The three other stakes events on the card are the $100,000 Chamberlain Bridge Stakes, the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint, and the $100,000 Speightstown Sprint.
The first post-time of the twelve-race Memorial Day card at Lone Star Park is 1:40PM CST, with a vehicle giveaway of an all-new 2022 Ford Escape, as well as live music on the Courtyard of Champions stage from 1pm to 6pm, featuring Emerald City's Party Machine.
The post Former Baffert Trainee Shaaz Headlines Steve Sexton Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
