Hello Lucky Has Easy Ride

After three failures in graded stakes in her first three starts for trainer Chris Paasch, Hello Lucky welcomed a drop in class with a wire-to-wire victory in the $85,350 Anoakia Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Gary Stevens, the 2-year-old daughter of Lucky Lionel, who is owned by Charles Cono, completed the six furlongs in 1:10. It was her third win in six starts, but her first since she began her career with consecutive victories at Calder.

Before the win, which was the second for Paasch in the Anoakia in four years, Hello Lucky had finished third in both the Sorrento and Del Mar Debutante and was fifth when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles in the Oak Leaf on Oct. 2.

No Bull Baby, a 9-1 shot, finished second, three-quarters of a length behind the winner, and 27-1 outsider Bulita was third.

*

Sulamani, the 4-5 favorite, added another Grade I race to his resume with a 1 1/2 -length victory over 21-1 shot Simonas and nine others in the $1.5-million Canadian International at Woodbine in Toronto.

Frankie Dettori rode the 5-year-old Hernando horse, who won for the ninth time in 17 starts, for Godolphin and trainer Saeed bin Suroor. He completed the 1 1/2 miles on turf in 2:28.64.

*

Melhoir Ainda demonstrated she’s the best 2-year-old turf filly in the country with an authoritative eight-length win without ever being asked for her best in the $82,200 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park in New York.

Owned by T N T Stud and trained by Bobby Frankel, the daughter of Pulpit improved to two for two on the grass after winning in 1:51.28 for the 1 1/8 miles over a course labeled good on the final day of the meet.

Two races later, Crown Point, an 18-1 shot, prevailed by three-quarters of a length over 11-1 shot Wallstreet Scandal in the $82,875 Pilgrim Stakes.

Jose Espinoza rode the 2-year-old Honor Grades colt for Drumlanrig Farm and trainer David Donk. He ran the 1 1/8 miles on grass in 1:50.31.