Slow Fuse Wins in Sam Houston Despite Miscue
Randy Romero was happy to get the last laugh.
Romero misjudged the finish line Sunday in the $250,000 Sam Houston Stakes but recovered soon enough to lead Slow Fuse to the finish line by a neck over Two Moccasins.
“It happens to the greatest riders,” said Romero, mentioning Bill Shoemaker’s similar mistake in the Kentucky Derby several years ago. “Those things happen.”
Romero stood up in his stirrups at a pole before the finish line before realizing Slow Fuse had more ground to cover in the 1 1/2-mile race on the turf.
Two Mocassins gained the lead on the inside, but Slow Fuse recovered to win the race in 2:33 3/5 in the 13-horse field.
“I thought it was the wire and it was the pole there, so I went back down and started riding my horse,” Romero said. “He dropped back almost a length and came back. He showed a lot of courage coming back to do what he did from my messing up.”
Slow Fuse, a son of Fluorescent Light, returned $16.40, $5.80 and $4.20. Two Moccasins paid $7.80 and $4.40 and Green Barb paid $4.40.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
