Street Story, Bourbonize Win OP Stakes

In the supporting stakes on the Arkansas Derby Day card, Street Story gave trainer Steve Asmussen his fourth win of the day and his third victory in 12 runnings of the $100,000 Instant Racing stakes when she upset six other 3-year-old fillies in the field and finished one-half length in front of 3-5 favorite JoJo Warrior.

Sent off at 14-1 as the longest shot in the field, the winner of the daughter of Street Cry was rated far off the pace by Ricardo Santana, Jr. before kicking clear in the lane and then battling JoJo Warrior from the 16th pole to the wire. Pacesetter Adrianne G faded in the stretch but held on for third, another 4 ½ lengths back.

“She ran a really good race and she ran her race today,” said Asmussen. “This is her second stakes win of the meet and I’m proud of her.”

Whispering Oaks Farm’s Street Story, winner of the $100,000 Dixie Belle here on Jan. 10, covered the six furlongs in 1:10 1/5 on a fast track and returned $30.60, $8.00, $3.60. She improved to three wins from seven starts and increased her earnings to $161,210.

In the $100,000 Northern Spur Stakes, Bourbon Lane Stables’ Bourbonize took full advantage of a significant class drop from graded stakes company in his last two efforts and the addition of first-time blinkers to close from far back and edge favored Knock Em Flat as he prevailed by a neck in a photo finish.

Bourbonize, who is trained by Kellyn Gorder and was ridden by Ramon Vazquez, covered the one-mile distance on a fast track in 1:24 3/5 while Fabulous kid was third, ¾ lengths behind Knock Em Flat, the 7-5 favorite in the field of 10 3-year-olds, who scratched out of the Arkansas Derby (G1) to run this race instead.

“This is a nice way to end the meet for sure. I talked with my assistant, Johnny Ortiz this morning, and we both agreed that speed appeared to be holding, but I didn't want to take him out of his game. He's a better stalker or coming from mid pack,” said Gorder. “I can't say enough about the ride that Ramon (Vazquez) gave him. He's worked the last few times in blinkers. It wasn't so much to put speed in him, but to keep him focused in the lane."

The Kentucky-bred son of Tiz Wonderful out of the Halo’s Image mare Brown Eyes returned $12.10, $5.60 and $4.60 and has now won three of five starts and improved his earnings to $151,058.

 Arkansas Derby Day was the closing day of Oaklawn’s prestigious Racing Festival of the South and of the 2014 meet.