Coming off a stakes win on the bullring at Fonner Park, Perry and Denise Martin's homebred Uncle Mo colt Mo Mosa found a muddy track to his liking at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Monday night, coming from just off the pace to win the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths.
Ridden by Ramon Vazquez for trainer Michael Maker, Mo Mosa was clocked in 1:37.15 for the mile and paid $48.60 as the second longest shot in the field of seven older runners.
Multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter C Z Rocket, sent to Lone Star by trainer Peter Miller, finished second as the 8-5 favorite, with Silver Prospector finishing third and Hunka Burning Love, who set the pace for the first six furlongs, fourth. Sheriff Brown, Warrior's Charge (the 9-5 second choice compromised by a very slow start) and Harvey Wallbanger completed the order of finish. By My Standards was scratched.
David Cabrera, the rider of Hunka Burning Love, claimed foul against C Z Rocket alleging stretch interference, but stewards allowed the original order of finish to stand.
Hunka Burning Love raced off to the early lead, opening up two lengths after a quarter mile clocked in :24.70. C Z Rocket applied pressure to his outside through a half-mile in :47.83, and that pair was joined further to the outside by Mo Mosa around the far turn, the six furlongs timed in 1:11.55.
Under strong urging from Vazquez, Mo Mosa poked his head in front with a furlong remaining (the seven-furlong fraction was 1:23.95), then widened the advantage down the stretch.
The win was the fourth in 16 career starts for Mo Mosa, who was produced from the Eskendereya mare Roughing. Second in the G3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park last year, the colt's only previous stakes win came in the Bosselman Pump and Pantry/Gus Fonner Stakes on April 24.
The race, formerly the Texas Mile, was renamed in 2017 to honor the memory of the late Steve Sexton, the respected racing executive who was part of the management team when Lone Star Park opened in 1997.
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