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Jan 13, 2024

Ceiling Crusher wins Melair Stakes at Santa Anita

ARCADIA — Ceiling Crusher continued her unbeaten ways Sunday at Santa Anita,

ARCADIA — Ceiling Crusher continued her unbeaten ways Sunday at Santa Anita, demolishing the field by 17 lengths in the $150,000 Melair Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on an afternoon when the spotlight was on California-breds.

The Melair was one of five stakes races restricted to state breds and Ceiling Crusher put on the show of the day, scoring her second consecutive victory by double digits after winning the Evening Jewel Stakes at Santa Anita on April 8 by 15½ lengths. She's won her four races by a combined 37¾ lengths.

Stretching out to two turns for the first time, which can sometimes be a tricky proposition, the Mr. Big filly went gate to wire and ran the 1-1/16 miles in 1:44.25 as the 1-5 favorite in a field trimmed to four with the late scratch of Danzing Cat.

"Now we just stay injury free and then we will be looking for something out of California, possibly back east or in the Midwest," winning trainer Doug O’Neill said. "The waters now get deeper and we have to start swimming with the better ones."

That means tackling open company, but that might not be a problem. The Hollywood Meet's leading rider, Juan Hernandez, has been aboard for all of Ceiling Crusher's races and he was confident she could successfully navigate longer distances.

"She's a big filly so we expected that she could go far like a mile or a mile and sixteenth," said Hernandez, who won three of the five stakes. "I had company for a little while, but at the three-eighths I said, ‘I don't want company anymore.’ So I asked her and she opened up from the three-eighths to the wire."

The five stakes races Sunday were part of the CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired horses.

The Chosen Vron continued to show he's one of the top Cal-breds we’ve seen in a while, sitting off the pace in third and then rolling to a 5½-length victory in the sprint for 3-year-olds and older.

A 5-year-old gelded son of Vronsky, The Chosen Vron has won 12 of 16 starts for earnings of $792,678. The victory was his seventh consecutive, all with Hector Berrios in the saddle.

He's won seven of eight races at Santa Anita. The final time for the 6 furlongs was 1:09.58.

The anticipated duel between the winner, sent off as the 3-5 favorite, and Brickyard Ride never materialized. Brickyard Ride, the 4-5 second choice, was pressed early by Sunrise Journey and faded to third, beaten by 12¼ lengths.

Old Pal rallied from sixth in the seven-horse field under a rail-skimming ride by Hernandez to record a three-quarter-length victory in the $150,000 turf race for 3-year-olds. Sent off as the 5-2 second choice, the Grazen colt won for the second time in four races while running the 1-1/8 miles in 1:50.14.

Eddie's New Dream, the 2-1 second choice with Mario Gutierrez aboard, went gate to wire to win the $100,000 turf race for older fillies and mares by a half-length, running the mile in 1:35.05 for trainer Ben Cecil.

An unlucky loser by a nose in his last start, Kings River Knight found the winner's circle this time with a 2¼-length victory over Coalinga Road in the $100,000 turf event for 3-year-olds and upward.

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