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Pomona, Calif. (Sept. 17, 2008) – Dash Dot Dash became the first two-time stakes winner of the Fairplex Park meet when she went gate to wire in the $65,000 Black Swan Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, beating her stablemate Vikkilee by length in 1:46.73 for the 1 1/16 miles on Wednesday.
Ridden to perfection by the season’s leading jockey, Martin Pedroza, Dash Dot Dash went to the early lead, and was stalked for much of the race by the 4-5 favorite, Grey Chatelaine, who eventually faded to fourth.
Pedroza carved out fractions of 24.52, 48.67, 1 :13.58 and 1:39.77 for her first try over a distance of ground. Every time jockey David Flores aboard Grey Chatelaine would test the leader, Pedroza would let out another notch.
At the top of the stretch Dash Dot Dash enjoyed a 1 ˝ length advantage, but Vikkilee, who had skimmed the rail for the entire race, was angled out to the center of the track by jockey Joel Rosario and was slowly gaining on the winner.
The one-two finishers were both trained by Vladimir Cerin.
“Martin is a great judge of pace and he got the job done,” said Cerin, who also watched Dash Dot Dash go gate to wire in the $65,000 Bustles and Bows Stakes at 6 ˝ furlongs on Sept. 6 at Fairplex.
Cerin appeared just as happy about the performance by Vikkilee, a maiden who was making her first try in a route race.
“This was only her second start,” said Cerin with a broad smile. “She ran great. There wasn’t a maiden race for her in the first (condition) book at Oak Tree, so I thought this would be a good spot.”
Dash Dot Dash, a daughter of Put It Back, has won three of her last four races while earning $103,180.
She paid $5.60 for the victory.
* Jockey Alonso Quinonez took off his seven scheduled mounts on Wednesday because of a freak home accident.
The 24-year-old was cooking in his kitchen when he spilled hot grease on himself, according to Fairplex steward Albert Christiansen.
Quinonez is expected to resume riding on Thursday.
* Jockey Edgar Montehermoso (cq) was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center after he was thrown from his mount, Bar JF Speed-N-Ticket (cq), at the conclusion of the first race, a 220 yard sprint for mules.
Montehermosos was pulling up Bar JF Speed-N-Ticket about a furlong after the race when the mule suddenly ducked outward, tossing the jockey heavily to the ground.
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