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Sea Gaze Repeats in Don K. Memorial
Sea Gaze added another victory to his credentials Saturday, Sept. 5 in the second round of the $30,000 Don K. Memorial Starter Handicap series. The victory was his second in a row for the series, which honors former HBPA executive director Don Kubovchik.
Starting from the inside in post one, Sea Gaze was not rushed by jockey Orlando “Magic Man” Mojica as Ok Nothanksforaskn and Jesse Garcia tangled with Got A Question and Emanuel Cosme for the top spot. Both horses pulled away from the rest of the pack, battling side by side through the first turn.
Down the backstretch, Got A Question backed off slightly as Ok Nothanksforaskn continued his pace-setting ways. In the final turn, the gap began to close, and Sea Gaze had the edge from the inside and was ready to attack in the stretch.
Mojica began riding Sea Gaze aggressively and he responded, making up ground on the leaders with every stride. In the late stretch, Sea Gaze was well in hand, winning by five and three-quarter lengths. Ok Nothanksforaskn held well for second while Minimast and Rodney Prescott rallied up for third. Time for the one and one-sixteenth mile event was 1:37.0.
“The trainer (Steve Asmussen) told me to race him like I did last time,” said Mojica. “I saw the horses in front down the backstretch and knew I had a lot of ground to make up. But, we made our move on the inside around the turn and he was game in the stretch. This is a nice horse and a good trainer to ride for.”
Sea Gaze now has four wins in 10 starts for 2009. The five-year-old son of Graeme Hall increased his career bankroll to more than $115,000. He remains two for two over Hoosier Park’s oval. Sea Gaze paid $7.60 to win as the second choice on the board.
The third round of the Don K. Memorial Starter Handicap series is set for Saturday, Sept. 19. The event will be contested at one mile. A total of five rounds will be held for the series.
