Saint D’Aroak Surprises in City of Anderson
Saint D’Aroak and jockey Rodney Prescott surprised their opponents in the 11th running of the City of Anderson Stakes Saturday, Sept. 10. The duo brought home the trophy in the $84,000 event for two-year-old registered Indiana bred fillies.
Starting from post seven in the nine-filly lineup, Saint D’Aroak got away in mid pack as One Flashy Justice and Terry Thompson had the best shot at leading the field early. They were also joined by Purple Jean and Orlando Mojica early on to set the pace.
“She (Saint D’Aroak) broke well but a couple of others out broke us,” said Prescott. “She made up for it though. She kicked it in at the top of the lane. I want to thank Randy (Klopp) and the owners for letting me ride this filly. I’m not riding a lot for them this year, but they found me a good one.”
In the turn of the five and one-half furlong event, Saint D’Aroak had moved up slightly but was still not the horse that appeared to be the biggest threat. However, that scenario changed quickly in the stretch when she found another gear and took control of the race. Prescott kept the daughter of Saint Anddan focused on her task and brought home the win by a margin of three lengths. Heavily favored Yeardley and Fernando De La Cruz rallied home late to finish second after a tough trip followed by Exploden Moonshine and Rafael Hernandez for third.
“She (Saint D’Aroak) handled the mud pretty well,” said Prescott. “Once she got clear in the lane, I just kept busy on her and she kept running.”
Trained by Klopp, Saint D’Aroak is owned by her breeders Cynthia and Dennis Claramunt in partnership with Klopp. She is now two for three in her brief career, boosting her career earnings to more than $75,000. Prescott has been aboard for all three races.
Prescott, Hoosier Park’s all-time leading rider, has competed in all 18 seasons of racing at the track. The Portland, Ind. native pulled in the leading rider title in 2005. He has numerous leading rider titles to his credit from River Downs, Turfway Park, and Indiana Downs. Prescott is closing in on 3,000 career wins.
Klopp continues to bring in competitive Indiana bred colts into stakes action each year. He and his wife, Liz, have a farm in Rushville, Ind. and relocate to Ocala, Florida each winter to concentrate on young horses for the Indiana circuit each season. Klopp is currently in second place on the list of leading trainers this season behind Gary Patrick.
For more information about Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, log onto www.hoosierpark.com.
Photo by Linscott Photography