GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Thursday, April 28, 2022) - Century Acres Farm, LLC’s homebred filly Heavenly Rhythm rallied along the outside to capture this years edition of the $85,697 Bluebonnet Stakes on Opening Night of Lone Star Park’s 2022 Thoroughbred Racing Season.
The victory in the 6.5 furlong stakes-event marks the first-career stakes win for the five-year old daughter of Congaree, pushing her career earnings to $145,869 from 14 starts. In 2021, Heavenly Rhythm competed in that years running of the Bluebonnet Stakes, but wound up a fourth-place finisher behind eventual winner Shes Our Fastest.
In this years edition of the Bluebonnet, under jockey Gerardo Mora, Heavenly Rhythm settled at the back of the field of nine-runners that endured such rapid early fractions of 22.17 for the opening quarter mile, and 45.05 for the half-mile. Coming out of the turn, Mora had angled Heavenly Rhythm out wide and through runners, and into clear running turning for home. In the final sixteenth-of-a-mile, the Tina Hurley-trainee kicked clear of the field to cross the wire in front by a cruising six-length triumph.
“Heavenly Rhythm is a really big filly, and I knew she was going to be coming from behind in the race,” said jockey Gerardo Mora. “Tina (Hurley) told me to just make sure to keep her clear of trouble and don’t get her stopped, and the trip we had was just perfect.”
The final time of the 6.5 furlong stakes event for 3-year old and up, Texas-Bred Fillies and Mares, was 1:18.08.
Longshot Zarelda, from the barn of trainer David Gomez, finished second in front of Robertino Diodoro-trained Boerne in third for the 2022 season opener in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Lone Star Park continues its opening weekend of racing with Friday’s card beginning with a first post-time of 6:35PM CST, with Saturday and Sunday’s race cards beginning with a post-time of 1:35PM CST.
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