Nanoosh Upsets Zia Park Derby at 12-1
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Photo: Coady Photography
Nanoosh wins the Zia Park Derby
It was a nightmarish day for chalk at Zia Park Nov. 21, as a card full of stakes on "Land of Enchantment Day" featured only one winning favorite.
The slate of seven stakes was capped by a 12-1 upset from Zayat Stables' homebred Nanoosh, who outdueled favored Air Strike to the wire to win the $250,000 Zia Park Derby by three-quarters of a length.
Trained by Robertino Diodoro, the Paynter colt entered the 1 1/16-mile test off back-to-back optional-claiming allowance victories at Canterbury Park and Turf Paradise. Nanoosh finished off the distance in 1:41.96 under jockey Orlando Mojica.
The only favorite to win on the 10-race card was 2-1 Alliford Bay in the $100,000 Zia Park Distaff, one of two stakes victories on the card for owner Peter Redekop, trainer Blaine Wright, and jockey Juan Hernandez . A 4-year-old City Zip filly, Alliford Bay won the six-furlong sprint by 3 3/4 lengths. It was her fifth straight stakes win (at four different racetracks), and all have been by three lengths or more. The connections' other stakes win came with Anyportinastorm in the $100,000 Zia Park Sprint Stakes. Both horses are based at Golden Gate Fields.
Another California invader who won at Zia Park Wednesday was Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bob Grayson Jr.'s Watch Me Burn, who took the $75,000 Zia Park Princess Stakes for 2-year-old fillies by 1 1/4 lengths.
Other stakes winners on the card were Oil Money in the $75,000 Zia Park Juvenile, Forevamo in the $150,000 Zia Park Championship Handicap, and Cosmic Burst in the $250,000 Zia Park Oaks.