Be A Bono Charges Late and Wins

Be A Bono earned his fourth Grade I victory when he surged late to edge A Regal Choice in the $605,450 Los Alamitos Super Derby on Friday night.

Owned and bred by Spencer Childers and trained by Dan Francisco, the 3-year-old Bono Jazz gelding was ridden by G.R. Carter as he won for the eighth time in nine starts. The Super Derby win, accomplished in a stakes-record 19.43 seconds for the 400 yards, earned the favorite a spot in next month’s Champion Of Champions.

A Regal Choice gave Be A Bono his first loss in one of the two trials for the Super Derby on Oct. 23.

-- Bob Mieszerski

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The rating for last Saturday’s five-hour Breeders’ Cup telecast on NBC was 1.4, lowest in the 21-year history of the event. One point represents 1.08 million households.... Overall handle on the eight races at Lone Star Park was $109.8 million, breaking the record of $108.5 million set when the Breeders’ Cup was run at Arlington Park in 2002.... Bates Motel, winner of the 1983 Santa Anita Handicap and champion older male horse on dirt that year, was euthanized at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 12. Bates Motel, who was 25, sired 38 stakes winners.

-- Bill Christine