NEWS
E Z’s Gentleman, Pedroza win Triple Bend
Posted: Saturday, July 10, 2010 7:00 PM
E Z'S GENTLEMAN
Benoit & Associates photo
For video of the Triple Bend Handicap, click here.
by Steve Bailey
Jockey Martin Pedroza scored his 1,000th victory at Hollywood Park on Saturday as a pair of horses trained by Bob Baffert—E Z’s Gentleman and Sangaree—finished first and second in the $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap (G1).
E Z’s Gentleman raced just off the pace set by M One Rifle up the backstretch before taking over on the inside and driving to a 3 1/4-length victory over hard-charging stablemate Sangaree in the seven-furlong race on the synthetic Cushion Track surface.
“When [E Z’s Gentleman] was dueling, I thought, ‘Oh no, he doesn’t run like that,’ but he just put it to [pacesetter M One Rifle]; he got aggressive with him from the inside. He got up in there and he got aggressive with him because he didn’t want M One Rifle to sneak away.
“Martin knew what he was doing and the other horse [Sangaree] came on and ran well. Recently, E Z’s Gentleman has just gotten better and better with age. This horse just kept on running. The timing was great for today.”
Pedroza has racked up nearly 4,000 career victories, most of which have come in the state of California.
"When I used to be in the jock's room with [Bill] Shoemaker and [Chris] McCarron, I was the bambino. That's what Shoemaker used to call me—‘The Bambino.’
“Now they call me the veteran here. I'm sweating so much because this is like winning the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) or six races in a day. To get my 1,000th win here in a Grade 1, it means a lot to me.”
E Z’s Gentleman, the third betting choice at 3.90-to-1, won for the third time from seven starts this season for Baffert, capturing his first career graded stakes victory for owner Arnold Zetcher.
M One Rifle hustled to the lead and took the field through a speedy quarter-mile in :22.82 and half-mile in :45.03 as the five-year-old Yankee Gentleman horse stalked no more than a length behind under Pedroza.
Making his bid on the turn, E Z’s Gentleman overhauled the leader and took command, driving through the stretch to the open-length victory and covering the distance in 1:21.11 on a track rated as fast.
“Mike Smith [on M One Rifle] rode a great race,” Pedroza said. “He figured there was only two speeds, him and me. He kept me inside just enough so I could stay there.
“He was hoping I'd come around him and maybe he could steal the race. And who knows, if he got away he might have been tough. I said to myself, ‘I'm here and I'm not going to give up my position.’ “
Stakes winner Sangaree, under Martin Garcia, finished gamely to take second, one length in front of Godolphin Racing’s Grade 1 winner Gayego.
E Z’s Gentleman won for the fourth time from 15 career starts and boosted his career earnings to $299,711 in three racing seasons.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
For an Equibase chart, click here.
