The addition of blinkers turned Anthony's Cross into a new horse. Under jockey Joel Rosario, the son of Indian Charlie narrowly held off Riveting Reason to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) by a nose at Santa Anita Park.
Quail Hill broke quickest, but Tapizar was rank coming down the stretch for the first time and quickly took over the lead. The opening quarter mile was run in :22.48. Anthony's Cross was sitting on the outside in second, with Quail Hill on his inside.
After running a half-mile in :45.64 and three-quarters in 1:09.92 Tapizar began to drop back just a bit. Anthony's Cross was mounting a charge on the outside. Tapizar held the lead as they turned for home, but was tiring fast, leaving Anthony's Cross on the lead. Riveting Reason was charging on the outside, and was inching closer with every stride, but Anthony's Cross held him off in a photo finish. Quail Hill finished third, with Thirtyfirststreet and Tapizar fifth. Ten Devils and Wegner trailed the field.
The final time was 1:48.63. On a side note, the simulcast of the race showed inaccurate fractions. It wasn't a big deal, but I was watching the race in awe as I saw Tapizar rattle off fractions of :19.11 and :42 flat. I was screaming when I saw them hit the mile marker in 1:32.02, faster than Dr. Fager's world record for a dirt mile, and was shocked into silence when they hit the wire in 1:44 and change. However, I quickly realized that something was wrong and calmed down when the proper fractions were posted on the toteboard.
-Keelerman
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