INGLEWOOD, Calif. (HORSES/Newsfeed) — Unusual Heatwave collared Stoney Fleece in the closing yards to win the $ 300,000 Snow Chief Stakes by a half-length on California Gold Rush day at Betfair Hollywood Park on Saturday, with jockey Rafael Bejarano winning five races including three stakes a day after being sworn in as a U.S. citizen.
The 29-year-old Peru-born rider also rode five winners on Gold Rush Day in 2009. Bejarano has won five stakes through the first three days of the track’s spring-summer meet.
Unusual Heatwave ran 1 1–8 miles in 1:51.63 and paid $ 7.40, $ 3.60 and $ 2.80. 19–10 favorite Stoney Fleece returned $ 3.40 and $ 3.20, while Dylan Donnelly was another 1 1–4 lengths back in third and paid $ 4.20 to show.
“It was a good trip,” said Bejarano, whose 16 Gold Rush wins are second on the career list. “I followed the favorite the whole way and stayed out of trouble. At the beginning, it didn’t look like he wanted to go, but at the half-mile pole he really picked it up.”
Unusual Heatwave earned his second win in nine starts to increase his bankroll to $ 265,262.
In the $ 288,000 Melair Stakes, 11–10 favorite Willa B Awesome edged Starry Skies by a nose under Martin Pedroza, who returned less than two weeks after breaking his ribs in a spill at Santa Anita. She paid $ 4.20, $ 2.40 and $ 2.10. Starry Skies returned $ 3.20 and $ 2.20, while Starlight Magic was another 3 1–2 lengths back in third and paid $ 2.40 to show.
Willa B Awesome ran nine furlongs in 1:43.33 under high weight of 124 pounds. It was her fifth win in 13 starts with career earnings of $ 578,896.
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, the career-leading Gold Rush trainer with 11 victories, added two wins. Gatheratthealter won the $ 72,800 Grey Memo by a head, while 2–1 favorite Sparkling Style won the $ 71,400 Warren’s Thoroughbreds by 2 1–2 lengths.
Joe Talamo rode Sparkling Style, who ran seven furlongs on the synthetic Cushion Track in 1:23.71.
Bejarano rode Gatheratthealter, going seven furlongs in 1:23.74.
The jockey’s easiest win was by 7 1–4 lengths aboard Mobilized in the $ 125,000 Tiznow Stakes despite losing his whip with about three furlongs to go. Mobilized ran 7 1–2 furlongs in 1:29.47, giving him six wins in 22 starts and earnings of $ 360,080.
Mobilized paid $ 7.80, $ 3.40 and $ 2.80. Italian Rules, the 2–1 favorite, returned $ 3.60 and $ 2.40. Italian Rules was another half-length back in third and paid $ 7.20 to show.
Another of Bejarano’s winners, Warren’s Jitterbug, rallied to win the $ 125,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes.
Warren’s Internet won the $ 60,000 Alphabet Kisses Stakes, while Valentine Boy took the $ 60,000 NTRA Stakes.
