Foxysox rallies to win on dirt
With most of California’s top fillies and mares having retired or passed on running in Sunday’s Grade II $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap, trainer Carla Gaines decided it was a good time to experiment running 3-year-old turf specialist Foxysox on the dirt.
All Foxysox did was rally from next to last in the 12-horse field under the high weight of 118 pounds and pass the 35-1 longshot Round Heels near the finish to win by a neck under Victor Espinoza in the 1 1/16 -mile race on Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track.
It was an impressive victory for Foxysox, who had finished 10th and third in her previous two turf races, both Grade I events. On Sunday, Foxysox got bumped out of the gate and fell far behind as pacesetter Bella Banissa opened a 10-length lead on the field down the backstretch.
Bella Banissa tired coming into the stretch, with Round Heels taking the lead and appearing on the way to an upset victory. But Espinoza found an opening in the middle of the pack, going five wide and getting Foxysox to the finish in 1:41.84.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, the national earnings leader with more than $27 million in 2006, was at Hollywood Park checking on his 17-horse stable and watched one of his potential Kentucky Derby candidates, Ravel, win by 3 1/2 lengths in the second race at 1 1/16 miles.
Pletcher also won the fourth race with another 2-year-old colt, Grapelli. Both horses were ridden by Garrett Gomez, who had four winners Sunday.
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