Lone Rock the 'King of Stamina' After TAA Stakes Score
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Lone Rock captures the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Del Mar
There was no Eclipse Award on the line in the second race of the day on the Breeders' Cup undercard, but if there was, Lone Rock left little doubt who was the 'King of Stamina' after his 1 1/2-length victory in the Nov. 6 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2) at Del Mar.
Flying P Stable and R. A. Hill Stable's Lone Rock, claimed for only $40,000 last fall at Churchill Downs, was bet down as the 3-2 slight second favorite in a short five-horse field for the 1 5/8-mile TAA Stakes. The Robertino Diodoro pupil had captured three stakes wins over route distances this year, and the TAA Stakes would prove to be the cherry on top of an already magnificent 2021 campaign for the 6-year-old gelding.
Breaking alertly under regular pilot Ramon Vazquez, Lone Rock was content to sit off first choice Tizamagician through the early stages. The Richard Mandella trained Tizamagician, a graded stakes winner over the Del Mar oval back in July, cruised through a :48.74 half-mile and 1:13.90 three-quarters. Unchallenged past a mile in 1:39.53, Lone Rock steadily churned into Tizamagician's lead, engaging the pacesetter around the far turn. Tizamagician had little response for Lone Rock, who charged right on by and kicked clear by 1 1/2 lengths under the wire.
Cupid's Claws made a late run on the inside down the stretch to secure third another 2 1/2 lengths behind Tizamagician.
Lone Rock completed the testing 1 5/8-mile distance in a Del Mar track record time of 2:42.61. He returned $5 for a $2 win bet.
"(There were) no special instructions for me," said Vazquez, earning his first Del Mar stakes win with the TAA. "He just said to ride him like you know how. I had a good trip all the way. I was very confident in my horse and he was running well. At the eighth pole I asked and he ran hard. He’s a good horse.”
Hapi Hapi and Locally Owned completed the order of finish. Mad Grace and Zestful were scratched.
With the TAA Stakes, Lone Rock increased his lifetime earnings to $1,024,921 from 36 starts.
“It played out the way we thought it would," said Diodoro's assistant Sean Williams. "We expected (Tizamagician) would go and we would make him use a little bit to clear us. Then when it was time, he likes it on the outside and we could go get him. This is such a good horse. He makes our jobs easy.”
Lone Rock, a son of Majestic Warrior , was bred in Kentucky by Town & Country Horse Farms and Pollock Farms, and is out of the grade 3 stakes-placed Hard Spun mare Ruby Lips. He is a half brother to recent Tempted Stakes captress Gerrymander (Into Mischief ), who was also runner-up behind NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Echo Zulu in the Oct. 3 Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. Ruby Lips has a yearling colt by More Than Ready and foaled a Tapit filly this year.