SHAKOPEE, MN – Owners John Mentz, Jeff Larson and Pete Mattson were coming into the 2022 season off of outstanding 2021 seasons. Mentz and Larsen with reigning horse of the meet, Clickbait, and Mattson off a stellar 2021 campaign that included sweeping the Minnesota Oaks and Derby with Thealligatorhunter and Molly’s Angel. All three stakes winners were entered in the $50,000 10,000 Lakes and Lady Slipper Stakes to try and get their respective owners off on the right foot.
Heading into the 10,000 Lakes, Mattson had already notched a winner with longshot Lindsey Luck under a brilliant ride by Israel Hernandez. Mattson and co-owner, co-breeder and trainer Tim Padilla had Thealligatorhunter ready to roll after a sharpener at Tampa Bay Days in late April.
He broke alertly and settled off the flank of Prince Rama down the backstretch of the six-furlong dash. He took the lead just before the half mile and looked to be ready to pull away from the field coming down the lane.
Dame Plata, owned by Ann Sachdev and Lori Bravo and trained by Francisco Bravo, worked his way through some traffic through the turn under Ruben Fuentes and cut into Thealligatorhunter’s lead until they were neck and neck through the last sixteenth of a mile.
At the wire it depended upon your angle on who you thought won, but the race was declared a dead heat as the placing judge determined both stopped the timer at 1:09.37.
Thealligatorhunter, ridden by Alonso Quinonez paid $2.80 while Dame Plata, under Rueben Fuentes, paid $2.40. Prince Rama was able to hold on for third.
It should be a fun summer in Shakopee watching these two compete.
The 2022 edition of the Lady Slipper looked to be a highly competitive event with 2021’s Horse of the Meet and defending Lady Slipper winner Clickbait, 2020’s winner Ready to Runaway and 2020 Minnesota Oaks winner Hotasapistol making up half the field.
Once the gates opened, however, there was no doubt who the winner was going to be. Cecily Evans had Clickbait out of the gate cleanly and was able to seize command early. All the duo did was extend their lead from there. They crossed under the wire in 1:08.46, a new stakes record, and 5 ½ lengths ahead of Ready to Runaway. Hotasapistol was third.
“She just does everything so easily. She’s so smooth.” said rider Evans after the win. “I didn’t care for the outside post, but I let her get comfortable and do what she wanted to do.”
And what she wanted to do was clearly good enough. Tapped once to keep her focused on the finish, the Mac Robertson trained Clickbait cruised to the wire and seemed to have plenty in reserve. She served notice that she’s going to be a tough sprinter to beat again this year.
Clickbait paid $3.80 for the win. Stablemate Ready to Runaway ($2.60) was second and Hotasapistol ($3.00) was third.
OPENING NIGHT NOTES
Jockey Rueben Fuentes, in addition to co-winning the 10,000 Lakes with Dame Plata, had a pair of other wins on the card for a stellar opening night.
Opening night handle was $1,846,213 for the eight race card. Opening night 2021 handled a nearly identical $1,845,970 however it was a nine race card.
The new 10% Post Time Pick Four handled $95,909 and paid $54.15. Not a huge number but considering the first three races were won by odds-on favorites, it was a respectable payout thanks to 21-1 winner Lindsey Luck in the anchor leg.
Lindsey Luck also kicked off the 10% takeout Pick 5 which handled $139,183 and was a less chalky sequence and returned $351.90 to bettors.
Jockey Cecily Evans, who won the Lady Slipper on Clickbait, was also aboard Clickbait winning the Lady Slipper last year which gave her her first career stakes victory.
In addition to booting home Thealligatorhunter in the 10,000 Lakes, Rueben Fuentes also scored aboard Bayou Benny, giving him the first riding double of 2022.
Newly arrived Jermaine Bidgmohan won aboard Asena in the 3rd, giving the new arrival a win on opening night.
2021 winningest horse in North America, Shinny, picked up right where he left off at Canterbury last season, when he went 6 for 6, winning the 2nd race for trainer Robertino Diodoro.
The debut of Dave’s Faves, taking over the tip sheet from paddock analyst Kevin Gorg, saw him picking five winners out of the eight races.
