Sunday Rules Romps in Santa Anita Feature

Looking every bit the odds-on favorite from start to finish, Sunday Rules remained unbeaten by rolling to a 2 1/2-length victory in Thursday’s $81,900 feature race at Santa Anita Park under jockey Tyler Baze for trainer Phil D’Amato.

A 4-year-old California-bred daughter of the late Tribal Rule, Sunday Rules never left the issue in doubt in the 6 ½ furlong race. She broke on top from her No. 3 post position in a field of five, held a daylight lead throughout, and was never seriously threatened in posting her fourth consecutive victory by a combined margin of 24 1/4 lengths.

It was the first race for Sunday Rules since last June 26, a span of more than nine months.

“The next step for her will be a Cal-bred stakes at the end of the month (the $150,000 Spring Fever Stakes at six furlongs on May 23),” D’Amato said. “Then after that, maybe we can think about some graded stakes along the line.

“She’s been training like a more mature filly, a little classier than she was as a younger filly, so I thought I would see a more composed performance today, and I saw that.”

Sunday Rules, owned and bred by Nick Alexander, paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10 across the board and covered the distance on a fast track in 1:15.24 under 119 pounds. Her fractional times were 21.80, 44.25 and 1:08.53.

Wasted At Midnight, off at 8-1, was second throughout under Flavien Prat, paying $4 and $2.40, while 5-2 second choice Scherzinger, Rafael Bejarano up, was a distant third, 6 ¾ lengths behind Wasted At Midnight. Scherzinger, winner of the Grade II Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita in January of last year, returned $2.10 to show.

Heat Du Jour and Lotta Attitude completed the order of finish.

Sunday Rules earned $49,140, increasing her career bankroll to $224,880.

Source: Santa Anita Park