Washington Bridge Wins Life Is Sweet

Washington Bridge earned her first win outside Northern California, taking advantage of a perfect trip to win the $53,300 Life Is Sweet Stakes Friday night at Hollywood Park.

Content to sit third early in the field of five while It Tiz and Ellafitz, the top two betting choices, battled for supremacy, Washington Bridge rallied outside under jockey Rafael Bejarano to gain the lead with a little more than a sixteenth of a mile remaining.

At the finish, the 3-year-old Yankee Gentleman filly out of the Prized mare Stirling Bridge had 2 ¼ lengths on 19-10 second choice It Tiz. The 5-1 shot completed the 1 1/16 miles over Cushion Track in 1:42.80.

The victory was the fourth in 17 lifetime starts for Washington Bridge. She has earned $131,089 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who co-owns the Kentucky bred with Mark DeDomenico.

The win was the second in a row for Washington Bridge, who was making her first start over the Hollywood Park main track. She had defeated five allowance rivals Oct. 24 at Golden Gate Fields.

Making her first appearance on synthetic since finishing fourth in the 2009 Hollywood Starlet, It Tiz surprisingly made the lead over 13-10 favorite Ellafitz after breaking from the inside, but the quick early fractions (23.09 and 46.43 for the half mile) took a toll and she settled for second.

Point of Reference, another Golden Gate shipper, was third, followed by Gripsholm Castle and Ellafitz.

Washington Bridge, who had been 11-1 or higher in her six previous races in Southern California, paid $13, $5 and $3. It Tiz, who finished 2 ¼ lengths in front of Point of Reference, returned $3.20 and $2.40. Point of Reference, the longest shot in the lineup at nearly 13-1, paid $2.80 to show.

There were 76 winning tickets in the Pick Six. Each was worth $3,539. A total of $386,855 was wagered Friday in pursuit of a $54,204 carryover.