From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (May 20, 2018)–In a race in which the top five finishers were separated by roughly a half length, it was trainer Leonard Powell’s veteran warhorse, Soi Phet, who carried the day, as he took Sunday’s $100,000 Crystal Water Stakes by a head. Ridden by Alonso Quinonez, the 10-year-old gelding, who was making his 58th career start, got one mile over the Santa Anita turf in 1:35 flat.
Claimed 42 starts back for $16,000 on May 23, 2013 at Hollywood Park, the California-bred gelding by Tizbud, out of the Siberian Summer mare Summer Jersey, notched his 14th career win (13 of them with his current connections) and his seventh career stakes victory in taking the Crystal Water. He was bred by ARCHA.
A close third turning for home behind eventual third place finisher Well Developed and fifth place finisher Tule Fog, Soi Phet pinned his ears when challenged to his outside by second place finisher B Squared and won like a young lion.
“I was very confident today,” said Quinonez. “That race was the plan that I talked about with Leonard. Break well, stay inside down by the rail, follow the speed. Wait until the stretch and just see what you’ve got at the end.”
Although he ran a big second in a conditioned allowance here two starts back going a mile and one sixteenth on dirt March 23, Soi Phet was subsequently beaten 18 ½ lengths in the Grade II Californian at a mile and one eighth on April 28.
“His last race took nothing out of him,” said Powell, who is also a co-owner. “I knew he had lost nothing in weight and it’s better now than it’s been in the last two years. I knew he was doing well and he’s rewarding us. He weighs 1,167 pounds now and last year at about this time, he weighed 1,145.
“…We’ll just race him as long as he’s happy. I hope another year, but he’ll tell us. There’s a race at Los Alamitos in July. I’ll race him once or twice at Del Mar, again in September and then he’ll get a vacation and we’ll try it again next year.”
Dismissed at 47-1 today in a field of 11 Golden State eligible California-bred or sired three year olds and up, Soi Phet returned $96.80, $33.80 and $15.60.
Owned by the Benowitz Family Trust, Mathilde Powell and Paul Viskovich, Soi Phet is approaching millionaire status, as the winner’s share of $60,000 brought his career bankroll to $955,250. (Today’s Crystal Water was his second win from 14 tries on turf).
Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, B Squared saved ground at the rail while fifth most of the trip, swung four-deep turning for home and did everything but outrun the winner as he finished second, a neck in front of pacesetter Well Developed.
Off at 5-1, B Squared paid $7.20 and $4.80.
Well Developed, who surged to a half length advantage a sixteenth of a mile out, had to settle for third, a neck in front of favored Ashleyluvssugar. Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Well Developed was off at 7-2 and paid $4.00 to show.
Fractions on the race were 23.20, 47.18, 1:11.01 and 1:22.88.
Racing resumes with a five-day week on Thursday. First post time for an eight-race card is at 12:30 p.m.