Everheart Gives Asmussen Another Stakes at Lone Star

(from Lone Star report)
Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie's all-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen and 3-year-old filly Everheart traded places Saturday. The result was two stakes wins.

Forty-seven minutes after the national win leader saddled multiple grade I winner Lady Tak to victory in the $108,600 Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs, Team Asmussen connected with Kentucky invader Everheart in the $50,000 Wafare Farm Stakes at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Owned by Padua Stables, Everheart ran six furlongs in a swift 1:08.85, the fastest clocking in eight runnings of the three-quarter mile sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

It didn't take long to wonder why Everheart was sent off as the odds-on 1-2 favorite. The Grand Slam filly settled into stride early on under leading rider Eddie Martin Jr., ranged up to leader Boston Common and drew away to win by 4 ¼ lengths under Martin's strong handling.

Runner-up Boston Common, the 5-2 second betting choice, broke slowly and spotted the field about four lengths before rushing up to the lead while under a strong hold by jockey John Jacinto.

Asmussen's other charge, Bluegrass Sara, rallied late and just missed completing an Asmussen exacta, saddled by his assistants Darren Fleming and Tony Mathiasen.

Everheart paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10 to win and earned $30,000 for the victory in her stakes debut. Previously, she had won two of five starts and most recently finished third in a second-level allowance race at Keeneland Race Course.

Boston Express returned $2.40 and $2.10 and Bluegrass Sara was $2.10 to show.

(Chart, Equibase)