Juniper Pass takes San Luis Rey at Santa Anita
March 20, 2011ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) - Juniper Pass beat Dahoud by a half-length in the $150,000 San Luis Rey Stakes, a turf race that was moved to the muddy main track on a rainy Sunday at Santa Anita.
Ridden for the first time by Rafael Bejarano and running for the first time on the main track, Juniper Pass sat second behind Dahoud in the field of six older horses in the early going, took the lead at the top of the stretch and held off Dahoud in what became a virtual match race, covering 1 1/2 miles on a sloppy track in 2:32.64.
Juniper Pass, a 4-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid, paid $11.20, $4.20 and $3.20. Dahoud paid $3.60 and $3. Imponente Purse was more than four lengths back in third and paid $3.60 to show.