Jockey Alex Solis won his fourth race at Gulfstream Park April 17 when odds-on choice Tar Heel Mom drew off in the stretch for a 3 1/2-length win in the $51,650 Harmony Lodge Handicap (VIDEO).
Winner of the Sugar Swirl Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Jan. 15, Tar Heel Mom pressed pacesetter Bella Moneta along the inside into the stretch and responded when asked to win at 7-10 odds over four older filly and mare rivals. The final time was 1:09.97 for six furlongs on a sloppy, sealed track.
Solis, who was aboard Tar Heel Mom for the first time, won earlier in the day with Southafrican Queen ($10.60) in the fourth, Datts Cool ($8.20) in the fifth, and Mount Holiday ($8.20) in the ninth.
"I honestly didn’t know that much about her coming into the race and just went out there and let her do her thing," Solis said. "Four wins in a day feels pretty nice. It’s been a really good meet for me.”
Tar Heel Mom is a 6-year-old mare by Flatter —Perpetual Light, by Sunny's Halo, and is trained by Stanley Hough for owner Alex Rankin. Upson Downs bred the dark bay/brown mare in Kentucky
Hour Glass, ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, finished second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of Bronx City Girl and Fernando Jara. D'wild Ride and Bella Moneta, who carved fractions of :22.25 and :45.10, followed.
A lifetime winner of nine of 24 starts, Tar Heel Mom has earned $577,392. She carried top weight of 123 pounds and returned $3.40 for the win.
Tar Heel Mom was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Hurrican Bertie Stakes (gr. III) Feb. 13.
“She bled a little bit in her last start, so we had to give her some time," Hough said. "I considered shipping her to New York for the Distaff (gr. II) run yesterday (at Aqueduct), but this race came up and we decided to stay. The sloppy track wasn’t a concern. She’s very honest and handled everything. Now we’ll take her to New York and see what comes up next.”
Alex Solis
Benoit Photography