Seven stakes, including the $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap and the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff Handicap (both gr. III), top "Lone Star Million Day" on May 31 at the Grand Prairie, Texas track.
Besides the Lone Star Handicap (race 10), at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, and the Ouija Board (race 5), at one mile on the turf, the Memorial Day card also includes the $150,000 Dallas Turf Cup (race 9) and a pair of hundred grand stakes, the USA (race 7) and the Cinemine (race 8). More than $1 million in purses is being offered on the 11-race program.
A pair of Southern California shippers, Texas Mile (gr. III) winner Mythical Power and Awesome Gem, who has amassed nearly $2 million in career earnings, head the eight-horse Lone Star Park Handicap field. Wasted Tears, on a five-race winning streak for trainer/owner/breeder Bart Evans and most recently victorious in Keeneland's Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IIT), is a clear standout among six fillies and mares in the Ouija Board Distaff.
Mythical Power, who will be ridden by Preakness-winning jockey Martin Garcia, can extend trainer Bob Baffert's record of success at Lone Star. Besides the Texas Mile this spring, Baffert won the Lone Star Derby (gr. III) with Game On Dude, a race the 4-year-old Mythical Power won in 2009 as well. Baffert has two prior wins in the Lone Star Handicap, with Bob and John in 2007 and with Congaree , Mythical Power's sire, in 2002.
Mythical Power's tally by a neck over front-running Euroears as the favorite in the Texas Mile April 24 was the bay colt's first win since the Lone Star Derby. After pressing the pace, Mythical Power, ridden for the first time by Garcia, snatched the lead from Euroears in the final furlong and prevailed in a spirited battle to the wire. Mythical Power improved his career mark to 3-2-1 in nine starts with earnings of $581,040.
Mythical Power, a Peachtree Stable homebred who will tote co-high weight of 119 pounds, breaks from post 6.
The multiple stakes-winning Euroears, a 6-year-old trained by Bret Calhoun for James and Marilyn Helzer, also returns here and will attempt to stretch his speed a little farther. Also coming out of the Lone Star Mile is third-place finisher Fifteen Love, winner of the Maxxam Gold Cup at Sam Houston Park this spring.
West Point Thoroughbreds' Awesome Gem seeks his first victory since the Hawthorne Gold Cup (gr. II) last October. Trained by Craig Dollase, the 7-year-old Awesome Again gelding has won just six of 34 lifetime starts, but his remarkable consistency against top-quality competition has allowed him to earn $1,917,682.
Awesome Gem, who also shoulders the high weight of 119, is coming off a runner-up finish in the $1 million Charles Town Classic April 17. He will break from post 3 with regular pilot David Flores flying in from Los Angeles to handle the riding chores.
Five-year-old Wasted Tears, victorious in eight of her nine past starts, seeks a repeat in the Ouija Board, a race she won by one length over Superior Storm last year. The daughter of Najran shattered the Lone Star Park course record for a mile on turf in that race, leading most of the way while clocking a blazing time of 1:32.81. The previous mark of 1:33.56 was set in 1997 by Kiraday during the inaugural meet.
Evans' dark bay filly has won all three of her races in 2010 in front-running fashion. She captured the Honey Fox Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park by a half-length Feb. 20 for her first graded stakes score, then followed that with a half-length triumph April 10 over 2008 female turf champion Forever Together in the Jenny Wiley.
Cliff Berry gains the riding assignment on Wasted Tears, whose only loss since May 2008 came in an unplaced showing in the Lady's Secret Stakes at Remington Park in November of that year. She is assigned 123 pounds and breaks from post 5.
Her chief competition figures to come from Du-Zee Stables' Bubbler, trained by Calhoun. The 4-year-old Distorted Humor miss won the 7 1/2-furlong Irving Distaff April 24 over Ouija Board rival Slide On Bye and has captured six of eight races in her career. This will be her graded stakes debut.
Lucas Downs' Love to Tell ran third in last year's Ouija Board for trainer J.R. Caldwell, finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind the top choice.
$200,000 Ouija Board Distaff Handicap (gr. IIIT, Race 5, 3:27 p.m.), Fillies & Mares 3 & Up, 1 Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Bubbler (KY), E Martin Jr., 123, W B Calhoun
2. The Cat Who (TX), L S Quinonez, 116, M B Davidson
3. Love to Tell (KY), A T Gryder, 123, J R Caldwell
4. Slide On Bye (KY), S P LeJeune Jr., 116, F Bravo
5. Wasted Tears (KY), M C Berry, 123, B B Evans
6. Fortunia (KY), T McNeil, 111, C Asmussen
$300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III, Race 10, 5:47 p.m.), 3 & Up, 1 1/16 Miles
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Jonesboro (KY), M C Berry, 116, R L Morse
2. Golden Yank (KY), S Bridgmohan, 114, G A Thomas
3. Awesome Gem (KY), D R Flores, 119, C Dollase
4. Redding Colliery (KY), A R Napravnik, 117, K P McLaughlin
5. Fifteen Love (KY), J Guzman, 117, J Torrez
6. Mythical Power (KY), M Garcia, 119, B Baffert
7. Euroears (KY), J Theriot, 117, W B Calhoun
8. Indy Express (KY), C Landeros, 112, J D Merrick
Mythical Power won the Texas Mile at Lone Star Park on April 24.
Lone Star Park