Wasted Tears, undefeated on the Lone Star Park turf, took the field nearly all the way in winning the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff Handicap (gr. IIIT) (VIDEO) May 25 in track-record time in her graded stakes debut.
The Bart Evans homebred was ridden to victory by Eguard Tejera. The game Wasted Tears held off the late-charging Superior Storm by one length for her fifth win in the past six starts. Evans also conditions the 4-year-old daughter of Najran, who tallied at odds of 11-1.
The final time of 1:32.81 for the mile on firm going eclipsed the record of 1:33.56 set by Kiraday on July 4, 1997.
“Her whole family has performed better the older they’ve gotten,” said Evans. “She’s never really made any mistakes, and the mistakes she’s made, I made for her. She’s been very honest in her life.”
On breaking the track record, “That’s nice, I mean it’s great,” said Evans. “You know, if you raise them, you see them, they’re like your kids.”
Love to Tell finished third, followed by Hotlantic. Flibberjibit, the 8-5 favorite in the field of eight older fillies and mares, was pulled up on the first turn by jockey Julien Leparoux.
Wasted Tears broke well and took the lead from Sweeter Still shortly after the start. She led Hotlantic through swift fractions of :22.32, :45.63 and 1:08.18, coming under intense pressure from her pace rival, who put a head in front late on the the final turn. Just as it looked like Hotlantic would take over, Wasted Tears fought back gamely along the inside to take control mid-stretch. She inched clear in the final sixteenth and won under right-handed urging as Superior Storm, ridden by Luis Quinonez, flew late to tag Love to Tell and Chris Landeros in the final strides for second.
The Ouija Board was the first stakes win for Wasted Tears, who was coming off a front-running allowance score on the Lone Star turf May 8. She has won all four of her grass starts at the Grand Prairie track. Her sixth lifetime win in 11 starts was worth $120,000, more than doubling the dark bay filly's earnings to $230,798.
Wasted Tears is out of the Greinton mare Wishes and Roses.
She carried 114 pounds and paid $24.40, $13.80 and $7.20 while keying a $2 exacta worth $215.40. A willing Superior Storm, the 118-pound high weight who was seeking her eighth win in 10 starts for trainer Richard Jackson, returned $5.60 and $4. Love to Tell, winner of the Bayou Handicap at Fair Grounds Feb. 24, was a half-length back and paid $7.40 to show.
Hotlantic finished a close fourth, followed by Sweeter Still, Rustic Flame, and R Charlie's Angel. Flibberjibit was removed from the course via ambulance.