Bombs Away! Lost Bus finds the wire in the Santa Monica

At 64-1, Lost Bus was the forgotten mare going into the starting gate for today’s Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes, but that would not last long. Always a factor in the seven-furlong feature at beautiful Santa Anita Park, the four-year-old daughter of Bring the Heat never had it easy, but she proved as game as could be down the lane, ultimately scoring the victory in an exciting three-way photo.

Ridden by Fernando Perez and trained by Gary Sherlock, Lost Bus was the rank outsider in the field of nine, with the next highest price being only 13-1. This, despite having finished ahead of the race favorite, Tara’s Tango, when finishing third in the Kalookan Queen in her most recent start. Not to say the California-bred filly shouldn’t have been a bomb, as a non-winner since taking an allowance optional claimer nearly a year ago, she deserved to be a long shot, but of course, a result like this is why they run the race.

Forwardly placed from the get-go, Lost Bus found her way to join the leaders from the inside in the early going. She battled head and head with Finest City through solid fractions of :22.42 and :44.93. When the Santa Monica field hit the stretch, Lost Bus was still in front, but it looked like Finest City was poised to push on by just to her outside. It never happened. In the last few yards, it was Lost Bus who proved strongest, as she stuck her head in front for the win in a final time of 1:21.78 for the seven furlongs over the fast main track.

The gray, Tara’s Tango, who had been with the leaders early before easing back, came rallying strongly down the outside, but ran out of real estate to finish third, a head and a neck behind the winner.

After winning the photo, Lost Bus had to withstand a jockey objection lodged by the rider of the second place finisher, but Corey Nakatani’s claim of foul was dismissed, and Lost Bus was officially declared the winner.

“She ran well last time but even I didn’t know she was going to run this well in here,” said Perez. “I got a clean break, I took her to the lead and she was comfortable the whole time and at the end, she was still trying. Corey (Nakatani, on Finest City) was pushing me. We were bumping a little bit down the stretch, but not much to be honest. He just had to take the shot to see if he could get the disqualification. I didn’t even see Mike (Smith, on favored Tara’s Tango) at the wire. I was too busy fighting with Corey and trying to beat him. I needed to get that done first.”

The victory was the first stakes victory for Lost Bus in her fourth try. Owned by Terry Lovingier, the big upset raised her career record to 11-3-2-2, while nearly doubling her career earnings up to $256,018. Frankly, it was a win that not even her connections saw coming.

“This race was a Grade I when I won it last time (with Intangaroo in 2008),” said Sherlock. “Lost Bus was pretty much going to run before I learned Sunday Rules wouldn’t be entered, but I was running for third, and it turned out better than that. There wasn’t a lot of speed in the race, and I told Fernando to go to the front.”

Better than that for those who played her, as well. A $2-win ticket was worth $131.20, while the $2 exacta over Finest City returned a robust $1,042.80. And most importantly to one lucky and shrewd horseplayer, the Lost Bus upset was a key to the Pick 6 windfall of $1,132,476.80. Clearly, Team Lost Bus was not the only big winner today at Santa Anita.