Florida invader Mish led the field from start to mid-stretch, setting early opening quarter fractions at :24 and :46.99. Jockey Stewart Elliot placed Silver Prospector within five lengths back off of the front-runner Mish down the backstretch of the one mile contest. Elliot would not make a run at the leader aboard the eventual-winner until the field turned for home into the stretch. The son of Declaration Of War took command in mid-stretch and pulled away to a decisive one and one-half length victory at the wire in front of Saffie Joseph, Jr, trained Mish.
“We’ve got some unbelievably-nice horses in our barn and they really showed up on a day here in Texas that is very important to us,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “Silver Prospector is such a talented runner for his owners Ed and Susie Orr, who have done a great job of campaigning him. It’s very special to win this race because of how important the late-Steve Sexton was to Lone Star Park, and how much Lone Star Park means to me. What a beautiful win, and it sure means a lot to us.”
At two-year-old, Silver Prospector had been victorious in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes(G2) before posting a decisive score in the Southwest Stakes(G3) of 2020. Aside from an optional claiming win at Churchill in October 30, 2020, the now five-year-old colt went winless in nine-straight starts going into the Steve Sexton Mile(G3), with most of those starts coming in graded-stakes company.
The win in the Steve Sexton Mile(G3) pushes the career bankroll of this $190,000 OBS Two-Year-Old In-Training sales graduate of 2019 to $1,248,533 from five wins in twenty-one career starts. Silver Prospector earned $225,312 for the victory in the Steve Sexton Mile(G3).
Florida-shipper Mish settled for the runner-up spot to earn $75,104 for the second place effort, with the remaining order of finish being Shaaz, Popular Kid, Rated R Superstar, Sheriff Brown, Flash of Mischief, Mine That Star, and Tesoro.
Reported on-track handle for the twelve-race card on Memorial Day at Lone Star Park was $1,016,351, according to Equibase. The reported total handle from all sources was at $4,791,312. Attendance for the the Lone Star Million Day of 2022 increased by 37% from last years attendance. Total 2022 attendance for Memorial Day was reported at 8,035.
Lone Star Park’s Thoroughbred Season of 2022 continues through Sunday July 24, 2022, with fourteen more stakes events slated for the remainder of the meet. The inaugural running of the $300,000 Texas Turf Classic on July 16th highlights the upcoming summer Turf Festival, which offers three other turf stakes events at $150,000 each that is carded for that race day.
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