Wings Locked Up remained razor sharp, winning for the third time in his last four starts in Saturday’s $50,000 Dark Star Cup for older dirt sprinters at Canterbury Park.
Jockey Orlando Mojica, riding his second straight stakes winner on the card, managed to get his mount to survive a duel with Shrewd Move, the horse who defeated Wings Locked Up when they met in last month’s Paul Bunyan, and withstand a late surge from 14-1 outsider Saturdaynitelites to win the 6 1/2-furlong stakes by a half-length. Churchill Downs shipper Wabel finished third.
Rated R Superstar never was in contention and finished fifth as the 2-1 favorite.
The winning time was 1:15.72.
A 5-year-old son of Munnings trained by Clinton Stuart for Sad Sac Racing, Wings Locked Up ($6.40) was coming off a win in the Ed Skinner at Prairie Meadows. He is now 14 for 35 lifetime with earnings of $396,966.
Some Say So changes tactics to win Distaff
Some Say So, winless in six previous starts on turf and still eligible for a non-winners-of-two-lifetime allowance, changed tactics to score a front-running win in the $50,000 Minnesota Turf Distaff for statebred fillies and mares.
Two weeks earlier, the 4-year-old Some Say So ($10.80) had rallied from 16 lengths behind to miss by a head against open company in an allowance at the same 7 1/2-furlong distance as the Distaff. Saturday, with a rider switch to Mojica, Some Say So was sent to the front and she proved uncatchable, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of First Hunter. Honey’s Sox Appeal, the 9-5 favorite making her turf debut, finished third.
Trained by Judd Becker for the partnership of Tim Rosin, Jerry and Patti Miller, and Mark Kane, Some Say So, a daughter of Belong to Me, ran 7 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:29.85 for her second win 12 starts.
A P Is Loose delivers as Turf favorite
A P Is Loose, a stakes winner on turf each of the last two seasons, added another victory when he narrowly prevailed as the 3-5 favorite in the $50,00 Minnesota Turf for older statebreds.
Making his second start of the year following a third-place finishing sprinting on dirt in the 10,000 Lakes, the 6-year-old A P Is Loose ($3.20) ran down front-running 34-1 longshot Pennant Fever in deep stretch and outlasted 11-1 outsider Pleasant Sun to get up by a neck after 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:30.54, foiling jockey Mojica's bid to sweep all three stakes for Thoroughbreds on the card. Pleasant Sun was a neck in front of Pennant Fever, who had a head in front at the eighth pole.
Trained by Mac Robertson for owner-breeder Joel Zamzow, A P Is Loose is now 8 for 25 with earnings of $319,155.
* The filly La Mos Pyc ($7), coming off a victory in the trials while making the first start of her 3-year-old campaign, won the $32,750 Gopher State Derby for Quarter Horses by a neck over Lil Baby Eagle. Ridden by Stormy Smith for trainer Lori Harris La Mos Pyc ran 400 yards in 20.572 seconds.