C Z Rocket (left) wins the Hot Springs by a neck over four-time race winner and champion sprinter Whitmore
C Z Rocket denied 8-5 favorite Whitmore his fifth victory in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn on Saturday when he got up in the final jump under Florent Geroux to prevail by a neck in a final time of 1:09.04 for six furlongs over a fast track. Flagstaff finished third.
“I didn’t think we would be behind Whitmore, but it kind of worked out,” said trainer Peter Miller, who had claimed the City Zip gelding last year for $40,000 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track before he went on to win multiple graded stakes in Southern California.
“Might have been a blessing in disguise to track Whitmore,” Miller added. “He’s such a great horse, Whitmore, and so is C Z Rocket. I just can’t say enough about both of these horses. My congratulations to the connections of Whitmore on having this horse ready to rock and roll. Going down the stretch, I thought we were going to get there. It was tough. He was a little further back than I’d thought he would be, honestly. I did see pace was hot. Flo (Florent Geroux) knows what he’s doing. Horse runs really well for him. Pace was fast, so we were where we were supposed to be and it worked out.”
C Z Rocket, who races for Madaket Stables LLC, Gary Barber and Tom Kagele, improved his record to 10-2-2 in 24 starts and has now earned $1,011,641. He returned $7.20, $3.40 and $2.40 as the 5-2 second choice.
In the Temperence Hill Stakes, 47-1 longshot Carlos L. went gate to wire to win the 1 ½ mile race by a neck over Lone Rock under jockey Alex Canchari. Tenfold, the 2-1 favorite was third.
The 5-year-old Hold Me Back horse has now won seven of 16 starts and earned $262,999 for trainer Mac Robertson and owners Good Friends II, LLC.
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