Willis Horton’s The ultimate samurai warrior , beat 13 1/2 length by Super stocks when he finished fifth in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in April, turned the tables eight months later in another meeting on 11 December at Oaklawn Park, outpacing that competitor in a $150,000 Poinsettias Deposit.
Apparently at the turn and second turn with a stalking ride outside, the Samurai eventually overtakes a ground-saving Super Stock who has shown a willingness to threaten at auction among the horses in the passage. Street. But the winner was too strong under veteran driver Jon Court and won 3/4 of the length.
“Well, you never count as a winner (until) you cross the rope,” Court said. “But I was just doing all I could to prop up my competitors, and they were right there. We’re all in the heat. , I know I’ve got at least one good neck before them and I want to keep it that way. That margin is fine with me.”
The winner raced 1 1/16 miles on the fast track with the following 1:43.70:23.90, :48.40 and 1:13.45 set by the last-place finisher. Tuesday Lightning of mischief . Popular Loser Wednesday run. Las Samurai returned $10.20 for a $2 winning ticket.
The Super Stock runner-up, who is also the winner of the Runhappy Ellis and Zia Park Derby in the second half of 2021, finished a distance ahead of Flash of Mischief.
“I had to spin a lot of horses to get home. He ran all the way,” said Luis Contreras, who finished second. “I just ran faster.”
A 3-year-old son of Moon Malibu Coached by Dallas Stewart, Last Samurai scored his first win. The previous two starts, he just missed a black-style win when he finished second, got hit in the neck, in the Greenwood Cup Stakes (G3) at Racing Parx. He is currently 3-for-12 with earnings of $312,744.
“It’s a really good horse,” Stewart said by phone from his main New Orleans facility at Fair Grounds & Slots. “Last trip at Oaklawn (Arkansas Derby when he finished fifth), he ran a big race. He struggled. But, we really like him. I like him where he is today and he’s had a good ride. I think he’s going to be a really nice 4-year-old.”
Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings in Kentucky, the winner is outside First Samurai mare Lady Samuri . She won a Lighthouse Stock at Monmouth Park and finished third in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) there. The dam produced six ponies with four races and victories. One of her two underrated ponies is a Good magic longing to be named Magic Up. Lady Samuri was bred as Music by Maclean for the year 2022.
Samurai was eventually purchased $175,000 by his owner from Gene Recio’s shipment for Ocala Breeders’ March sales of 2-year-olds in training in 2020.
Videotapes: Poinsettias S. (BT)
