Recapping Texas Preview Day at Sam Houston Race Park
On Saturday, Sam Houston Race Park hosted a loaded card for Texas Preview Day featuring five stakes races for Texas-accredited horses.
The first stakes race was the Jim’s Orbit Stakes for three-year-old colts and geldings. The race was contested over six furlongs on the dirt for a purse of $75,000. I’m a Cowboy trailed early but rode the rail and swung out in the turn to run down Bling Bling Bling in the stretch to earn the win. I’m a Cowboy is trained by Danny Pish and was ridden by Alfredo Contreras. This was the second career win for the son of Bradester and pushed his career earnings over the $100,000 mark. Just Whiskey, another horse sired by Bradester, finished third.
In the sixth race of the day Texas accredited horses four years old and up faced off in the Houston Turf Stakes. Sunlit Song overcame a slow start to take the mile and a sixteenth race after settling in third early. The gray gelding tracked the leaders and stormed by on the far turn for the victory, finally winning the Houston Turf Stakes after finishing second the last two years. Sunlit Song was ridden by Stewart Elliot and is trained by Mindy Willis. Truly Danzig finished second, and Stans Hookin Bull won a photo for third.
Izatiz took the Two Altazano Stakes in the seventh race of the day. After settling on the rail, Izatiz used a big move at the top of the stretch to pull away from the field of three-year-old fillies and proved much the best. This was a second consecutive win for the daughter of My Golden Song after she captured the Bara Lass Stakes in January. Waving Bye was forced to settle for second, and Missingyoucrazy was third.
In the H-Town Stakes, Gold Pilot stormed from the back of the field to take an impressive victory. Too Much Action and Algebra battled at the front throughout, but when Gold Pilot made his move, they proved unable to match his late drive. This was the second win this year for the son of My Golden Song, he was ridden by Jose Alvarez, and Brett Calhoun was the winning trainer.
The last race of the day was the Miss Bluebonnet Stakes over a mile on the turf for Texas Accredited mares four years old and up. Imaluckycharm led the field from wire to wire and held off a late bid by No Mas Tequila to secure the win. Tudela was good enough to finish third in a photo. Imalucycharm was ridden by Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez, Karen Jacks was the trainer of the winner and the runner-up. This was the first start for Imaluckcharm this year, but her fourth career win.
Maybe the biggest winner from Saturday’s races was My Golden Song. The prolific Texas-based stallion sired four of the five stakes winners including the last four in a row. My Golden Song was a perennial leading sire in Texas but passed away last year. Fortunately, we still have a large group of his progeny on the track, and obviously, he left a strong and continuing mark on Texas racing.
Live racing continues Monday at Sam Houston as they will host a holiday card of eight races, and next weekend will feature racing action Friday through Sunday. As always, first post at Sam Houston is at one o’clock.
