Mirco Demuro rides Gas Me Up to Santa Anita win, denying Flavien Prat and Sumter
Gas Me Up and rider Mirco Demuro rallied from last on the Santa Anita hillside turf course to win the Grade II Joe Hernandez Stakes at 13-1 on Monday and maybe play spoiler in the national jockeys’ battle between Irad Ortiz Jr. and Flavien Prat.
Sumter and Prat also flew late to finish second in the grass sprint with a purse of $200,000. The difference between the $120,000 winner’s share and the $40,000 for second is important for Prat, who was trying to cut into Ortiz’s earnings lead of $40,488,707 to $40,229,713 to start the day.
Prat and La Ville Lumiere ($5.60) won the $100,000 Blue Norther Stakes turf mile for 2-year-old fillies earlier in the day to put $60,000 in the rider’s column.
At the end of the card, Ortiz was ahead by more than $140,000, by unofficial count. Prat is booked to ride seven horses on Wednesday at Aqueduct, while Ortiz is not entered anywhere on Dec. 31. Prat, the 2024 Eclipse Award winner as outstanding jockey in North America, leads Ortiz in stakes wins (75-65) and graded stakes wins (46-36), while Ortiz, a five-time champion, leads Prat in total wins (351-307) and purse money.
Ortiz finished seventh aboard favorite Motorious in the Joe Hernandez after picking up the mount from injured Antonio Fresu.
The Daily Racing Form reported Fresu is sidelined indefinitely after breaking a toe when Winning Patriot struck in the inner rail in the seventh race on Santa Anita’s season-opening card on Sunday.
Gas Me Up is trained by Peter Eurton, La Ville Lumiere by Michael McCarthy.