Richard Stiles Captures $10,000 Sunday High Stakes

This week’s Sunday $10,000 High Stakes, featuring fourteen races from Belmont, Santa Anita and Keeneland including the Grade I $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster,  became a match race for nearly the entire contest, until things got interesting in the late stages - very interesting. Eventual winner Richard Stiles (Winky) and perhaps the unsung hero Craig Hom (Chestnut) had their eyes on the $5,000 top prize and were keen to leave the other twenty-seven players in the dust, while knowing they would face challenges from red-hot competitors and the man who has planted his stake in the Sunday High Stakes, Anthony Trezza.

The outcome may have been different had Craig Hom’s selection in the very first race (Paden, a seventeen to one longshot) not been beaten by an incredibly impressive ride from the king of the Kentucky circuit, Corey Lanerie. Paden had passed Fruit Ludt (3-1) and jockey Corey Lanerie thanks to an inside trip and looked a sure winner, until Laerie guided Fruit Ludt nearly ten paths to the inside in an effort to intimidate Paden. Needless to say, Lanerie’s tactics worked and Fruit Ludt was on the receiving end of a good head bob and a narrow victory. When the trainer of Paden launched an objection, his efforts did nothing more than give the world a few more opportunities to see just how good Lanerie’s ride was.

More often than not, players succumb to the frustration of an event of that nature. Hom, the only player on the longshot who was narrowly defeated,  had obviously suffered a slight amount of bad “racing luck”, receiving $15.20 towards his total instead of $47.20 had Paden won. Hom would go against the grain however, and show tenacity in his effort to take down top honors.

In the second contest race, Hom collected a nice chunk of change when Pegasus Red crossed the wire first in Belmont’s seventh race and extended his lead. Meanwhile, Stiles had yet to get on the board, but in the third contest race he made an announcement of game-on, as his longshot, first time starter Blip N’ Th Bye annihilated her fellow maidens and made her trip to Keeneland’s winner’s circle. When Stiles was the only player to put Blip N’ Th Bye’s $45.40 payout on the board, the race was on and Hom was ready for it.

While the competition was having trouble adding anything to their totals, Stiles and Hom were on the same page, as they were two of only three players to collect More Than Rainbows’ $45.80 payout in the sixth contest race. At this point, they were several steps ahead of the competition and mirrored Keeneland’s Juddmonte Spinster stretch run between Untapable and Yahilwa, but would there be a ‘Got Lucky’ in the thirty player field?

Anthony Trezza (Youare2020), who was searching for his fourth victory in the event, sure had a ‘Got Lucky’ type of finish on his mind. He had stayed close for most of the competition and if the two leaders entered hot water, he would surely be there to pick it up. As the contest approached it’s late stages, a reversal of roles took place. While Stiles and Hom had lit up the board early, their late efforts weren’t nearly as impressive and the competition saw their opportunity to pounce. In Keeneland’s nightcap, the tenth race of the competition, six players began to see light at the end of the tunnel as Edeline, the longest shot on the board, crossed the wire first and added fifty dollars to their totals. Oddly enough, Hom was one of the six players to cash in on the longshot, but with his second entry. Although a bit of frustration brews when your bomber lands on the wrong ticket, Hom now had two chances to run down Stiles.

With the leading trio of Stiles, Hom and Trezza out front, the chasing trio of Richard Grose (Slim), Mark McGuire (Maguru) and Hom (2.0) had their work cut out for them, but they were ready for it. Stiles’ lead was getting slim and who better than the player going by the name of Slim (Richard Grose) to further that trend. Grose connected on three winners in a row to get as close to Stiles as anyone had gotten in awhile. As players arrived at the contest finale, Richard Stiles was ahead of Richard Grose by a margin of $16.20 with both ‘Chestnuts’, Trezza and Mark Mcguire in close pursuit. As the picks came in, Stiles was on 3-2 favorite Kellianne Can Can and Grose was on Mc Hottie, a seven-to-one shot with a big chance, while the others were either blocked or too far out of reach. Grose needed to hold off the competition for one more race and he would become $5,000 richer.

As Mc Hottie grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch, things became tense for Stiles, who’s lead was in jeopardy, but the second choice in the race, Joan of Arch, went right on by, silencing the excitement from Grose and the easing the nerves of Stiles. When the race went official, Richard Stiles had won $5,000 and added his name to the list of Sunday $10,000 High Stakes champions.

Richard Grose had put in an incredible stretch rally to finish less than ten dollars short of victory. His late efforts earned him $3,000. Craig Hom had battled the entire way and impressively finished with both entries in the top four. While his finish may have been disappointing, Hom still banked $2,000 for the third place finish.

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