Lost Bus gives Strong Performance in Spring Fever

With heavily favored Sunday Rules caving to early pace pressure, Terry Lovingier’s Lost Bus, who sat a comfortable third into the far turn, rallied three-wide turning for home under Fernando Perez and took charge a furlong out en route to an impressive 2 ½ length win in Monday’s $100,000 Spring Fever Handicap for Golden State eligible fillies and mares three and up bred or sired in California.  Trained by Gary Sherlock, Lost Bus got six furlongs in 1:09.54.

Breaking from the rail and with Sunday Rules to her immediate outside, Lost Bus, who was fourth, beaten 4 ½ lengths by the mighty Beholder in the Grade I Vanity Mile here on June 4, steadied between the favorite and speedy Codacious approaching the half mile pole, but quickly settled into stride as the leading pair dueled through splits of 21.95, 44.75 and 56.87.

“The five (Codacious) went with the two (Sunday Rules) and softened her up and it may have made a difference,” said Sherlock.  “She’ll probably run in the Rancho Bernardo next (Grade III, 6 ½ furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 17).”

With no show wagering in a field of four, Lost Bus was off at 5-2 and paid $7.00 and $6.20.  Claimed for $32,000 seven starts back on Nov. 19, she now has three wins for her new connections, two of them in stakes.  A 4-year-old California-bred daughter of the Bring the Heat, she’s out of the Stravinsky mare Frysland.  With the winner’s share of $60,000, she now has earnings of $410,818.  Her overall mark stands at 15-5-2-3.

“This filly has a nice stature, she’s a big filly,” said Lovingier.  “When she checked like she did, I thought, ‘I don’t think she’ll be able to make up this much ground.’  When Codacious went with Sunday Rules and pressured her, I think it took a little bit out of SundayRules and we were able to get there after that.  It can’t get any better than this, winning a race on the Fourth of July.”

With Joe Talamo up, 5-year-old mare Harlington’s Rose was content to view the proceedings from afar and rallied through the lane for second money, finishing 1 ½ lengths clear of Codacious.  The longest shot in the short field, she paid $11.60 to place. 

Sunday Rules, off at 1-5 with Edwin Maldonado, was spent at the eighth pole and finished last,  5 ½ lengths behind the winner.

Source: Santa Anita Park