She’s Regal Wins $25,000 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes, Rarick Continues Hot Streak with Longshot

by George

She’s Regal lived up to her favoured status in the $25,000 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes on a gorgeous Saturday night at Assiniboia Downs and trainer Wade Rarick continued his hot streak with a longshot in the last.

2012 Hazel Wright Sire Stakes Winner She's Regal.

Opening a short but clear lead early on the backstretch in the third race Sire Stakes under jockey Robert Reeves Jr., She’s Regal increased her margin after a quarter-mile in 23 4/5 and was 1 ½- lengths in front after a half-mile in 47 flat. She was then kept to task to hold safe in the drive, but never appeared in danger of losing as she stopped the timer in 1:14 1/5 for the six furlongs. Garden Ballad saved ground and finished well to grab second place, two lengths behind the winner and 3 ½-lengths in front of third place finisher Bunny Said Dance.

It was the first stakes win for the Manitoba-bred 3-year-old filly by Going Commando-She Is Impressive by Regal Classic, who finished third in last year’s $50,000 Buffalo Stakes and second in last year’s $40,000 CTHS Sales Stakes. The half-sister to $208,205 earner Classic Francesco improved her lifetime record to 2-1-3 from six starts with the victory. Bred by Cam Ziprick and Charles Fouillard and trained by Chad Torevell for the partnership of Arnason, Daley, Sundsbak and Ziprick, She’s Regal also gave jockey Robert Reeves Jr. his first ever stakes win at Assiniboia Downs. She has now earned over $38,000.

The Sire Stakes was the second win on the card for Reeves, but his celebration was tempered slightly when he was disqualified and placed fourth in the fifth race for bothering jockey Jerry Pruitt. Other jockeys to win two races on the night were Paul Nolan and Rohan Singh. Nolan now leads Singh in the rider standings by a score of 20-13. Reeves moved into a tie for third place with Tim Moccasin in the standings with 10 wins.

Not to be outdone by the jockeys, trainers Chad Torevell and Wade Rarick each won a pair of races to continue their battle atop the trainer standings with 10 wins apiece, one more than trainer Blair Miller, who sits alone in second place with nine wins.

Rarick also saddled the longshot of the night when Trojan for Life won the eighth race under jockey Chris Husbands and paid $20.30. In hindsight, Trojan for Life was definitely an overlay as a winter-raced sprinter stretching out to 7 ½-furlongs for a trainer who is winning with an amazing 42% of his starters so far at the Downs.

We’re not sure who or what Trojan For Life was named after, but we’re guessing that the breeders of the Hazel Wright Sire Stakes winner are happy they didn’t subscribe to that name.