Two WPT runners got their pictures taken over the weekend. Flashy Sunrise won his second race of the Fair Grounds meet with a five lengths score in an allowance event on Saturday. The handsome Rock Me Baby won for the third time in four career starts at Santa Anita on Sunday. WPT runners are on fire this year — winning at a 28% clip and hitting the board at an amazing 62%.
Two WPT runners got their pictures taken over the weekend. Flashy Sunrise won his second race of the Fair Grounds meet with a five lengths score in an allowance event on Saturday. The handsome Rock Me Baby won for the third time in four career starts at Santa Anita on Sunday. WPT runners are on fire this year — winning at a 28% clip and hitting the board at an amazing 62%.
Flashy Sunrise, also known as “big grey” is by WPT’s first grade I winner, Flashy Bull. It took big grey 19 starts to break his maiden, but he’s been rock solid ever since, finishing second in an allowance race on February 23 before getting the job done over the weekend under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan.
“I’ve always thought that once Flashy broke his maiden, he’d go on and win again pretty quickly after getting his picture taken,” said trainer Dallas Stewart. “He’s a big, durable horse and I love him.”
“This horse is in good form right now,” says WPT president Terry Finley. “The win earlier in the meet really picked his head up and made him feel like the man. If he takes another step forward, he can be a contender in the older handicap division this year. It’s fun to have an older horse who enjoys his job as much as this he does, especially one who can go around two turns.”
Dispatched as the favorite in a full field of Cal-breds, Rock Me Baby sat just off the early leader, Kilat, in the early stages of Sunday’s downhill turf event before wearing down the pacesetter in.jpg)
the stretch, gaining the lead near the wire, and prevailing.
“It takes a special horse to be run as well as he has on all three surfaces,” says trainer Craig Dollase. “I know it was a long road getting him to the races, but he’s shown us he’s very talented and all heart. I didn’t love the inside post today so Edwin (Maldonado) and I talked in the paddock and agreed we’d let Kilat blaze the way while sitting a couple lengths off him. Rock Me Baby drifted out a bit in the stretch and didn’t change leads right away, but kept running hard. Edwin (Maldonado) was thrilled with the effort.”
‘What a game effort today,” says Terry Finley. “It’s a beautiful thing to have a versatile horse, especially a statebred. There were some hard knockers in this race with quite a bit more seasoning than our horse. I appreciate Craig’s openness to try new things. We could have very easily stuck to the dirt after he ran so well in the starter allowance, but Craig’s always thought he’d be a horse who would handle the turf, and there will be a lot of options for him moving forward. He could be even better going longer.”
Rock Me Baby is under consideration for the April 27th Tiznow Stakes for Cal-breds at Hollywood Park.
