Perfect Moon Is Stellar

What a bargain Perfect Moon has turned out to be for owners Annabelle Stute and the Hat Ranch.

Purchased for $4,700 last fall by trainer Mel Stute, Annabelle’s husband, the 2-year-old Malibu Moon gelding became a graded stakes winner by upsetting heavily favored Ruler’s Court in the $102,500 Hollywood Juvenile Championship on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

A winner against $40,000 maiden claimers in his fourth career start after three losses going two furlongs at Santa Anita, the 3-1 second choice, who is a son of a horse Stute trained, was the runner-up in the Haggin Stakes on June 21 before his Grade III win.

Ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, who also took the day’s other stakes, the $76,875 Valkyr with 1-2 favorite Shalini, the Maryland-bred rolled past 15-1 shot and pacesetter Blairs Roarin Star in the final furlong and went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths.

In increasing his earnings to $91,870, Perfect Moon didn’t even have to run all that fast. The final time of 1:10.39 was the slowest in the Juvenile since Captain Valid won in 1:11 3/5 in 1986.

Before the race was official, Perfect Moon had to survive a stewards’ inquiry and a claim of foul by jockey Tyler Baze, who rode the runner-up, for an alleged bump in the stretch, but both were dismissed.

The 1-5 favorite because of his impressive debut win on June 11, Ruler’s Court finished third, 5 1/2 lengths behind the winner.

“He lost a stride in the first jump, then I got hit pretty hard,” said David Flores, Ruler’s Court’s rider. “After that, he never felt right. He never found his stride.”

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After winning six races on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Hollywood Park, jockey Julie Krone continued her roll at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., on Saturday.

Recently returned from injury, the Hall of Famer won two races in the annual Claiming Crown, including the day’s richest race, the $150,000 Jewel Stakes with favored Daunting.

After finishing off the board with California shipper Lucky Spirit in the $75,000 Glass Slipper and second with Debonair Joe in the $100,000 Rapid Transit, Krone won the $125,000 Emerald with Image before her victory on Daunting.

Owned by the Plan B Stable and trained by Mark Glatt, Daunting, a 5-year-old Sea Hero gelding, has now won three of four since being claimed by his current connections for $16,000 on March 22 at Santa Anita.

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Spoken Fur is now two-thirds of the way to a $2-million bonus after her 3 1/2-length win in the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park.

With a win in the $750,000 Alabama on Aug. 16 at Saratoga, the 3-year-old Notebook filly would sweep the Triple Tiara that began with the Mother Goose on June 28 and earn the bonus.

Purchased privately by trainer Bobby Frankel for owner John Amerman before the Mother Goose, Spoken Fur has now won five in a row after losing the first four starts of her career.

The 9-10 favorite under jockey Jerry Bailey, she completed the 1 1/2 miles in 2:31.02.

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Perfect Drift ($3.20) followed up his surprise of Mineshaft in last month’s Stephen Foster with a five-length win in the $400,000 Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park. Pat Day rode the winner for owner Stonecrest Farm and trainer Murray Johnson.

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Trainer Nick Canani and jockey Iggy Puglisi teamed with Island Fashion ($20.20) to win the $500,000 Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park.