Fluke beats stablemate in Thunder Road

Losing streaks ended emphatically for Fluke and his trainer Humberto Ascanio in the Grade 3, $100,000 Thunder Road Handicap at Santa Anita on Saturday.

For the 6-year-old horse and his 63-year-old trainer, the win was their first since 2009. Fluke won the Grade 1 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park in 2009 but was winless in three starts last year. Ascanio won the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap here in December 2009 but lost with his next 46 starters until Saturday.

Ascanio swept the exacta in the Thunder Road, finishing second with Proudinsky, the 3-1 favorite.

"It's nice to get that monkey off my back," he said.

Fluke ($8.60) ran a mile on turf in 1:33.77, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Proudinsky. Victor's Cry, who won the Grade 2 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park in November, finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Fluke, in his first start of 2011. The $1 Ascanio exacta of Fluke and Proudinsky returned $15.10.