Leading virtually throughout, favored Unzip Me prevailed in the $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Handicap (gr. IIIT) (VIDEO) on opening night of the inaugural Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meet Sept. 30.
Trained by Marty Jones for owner/breeders John Harris and Don Valpredo, and co-owner Per Antonsen, the 4-year-old City Zip filly out of the Arazi mare Escape With Me recorded her third grade III victory of the year.
Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, the California-bred quickly assumed command inside of Terrify early in the Maddy, then repelled a challenge from 13-1 outsider Waveline to win by 1 1/2 lengths on the Hollywood turf course.
The victory was the ninth in 15 starts for Unzip Me and her sixth in seven races in 2010. Her only loss this season came versus males when she was third in the Robert K. Kerlan Memorial June 27 during Hollywood's spring-summer meet.
This was her first appearance since capturing the Royal North (Can-IIIT) on Aug. 2 at Woodbine. Unzip Me won for the third time in five starts on the local turf.
The 7-10 choice completed six furlongs in 1:08.50 over firm ground. The $60,000 prize pushed Unzip Me’s earnings to $484,513.
“She’s just a special horse,’’ said Jones after his first Maddy victory. “This is why you get up every morning, hoping to get horses like this. She’s got everything you need…a lot of talent and a lot of heart.’’
Bejarano, the two-time defending Oak Tree riding champion, also won the fifth race for Jones with first time starter Hello Sugar, a 3-year-old Cee's Tizzy filly owned and bred by Pamela Zeibarth.
Unzip Me paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10.
Waveline ($7.60, $5.80), ridden by Corey Nakatani, was also bred in California. She finished three-quarters of a length in front of Bonifacio ($4.80), who had Alonso Quinonez aboard.
Czechers was a nose back in fourth, followed by Reba Is Tops, Alpha Kitten and Terrify. Dotsy Jean and Minute Limit were scratched.