Expect Royalty, Magna Breeze Win Texas-bred Stakes at Retama Park

retamalogoRetama Park on Saturday night presented a pair of Texas-bred turf stakes with the $50,000 Fiesta Mile and $50,000 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Stakes.

In the Fiesta Mile, Expect Royalty closed well to win by a length with Iram Diego riding for trainer, owner and breeder Leroy Pollok. This was the first stakes win and fifth career victory for the 4-year-old daughter of Valid Expectations. She clocked the one-mile distance in 1:36.23.

Donald Milligan’s Delmersmiracle, a daughter of Special Rate making her stakes debut, set the early pace and held on for second. Rose Mary Chandler’s homebred  I Am Jane Dough, a filly by My Golden Song also making her stakes debut, closed to finish third.

In the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame Stakes, William Butler’s Magna Breeze shipped in from Indiana Grand to win by a neck with Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez up for trainer Mike Maker. Bred by Joanne Schapiro, the well traveled Magna Graduate gelding has raced at Sam Houston Race Park, Lone Star Park, Churchill Downs, Belmont Park and Indiana Grand this year. All told, the Texas-bred has banked $112,324 with a record of 16-6-5-2. He clocked 1 1/16 miles at Retama in 1:41.60.

David Moad’s Early Flyer gelding Fly the Red Eye closed fast to take second, and Southwestern Racing LLC’s Special U F O, a son of Special Rate who won this race last year, held on for third after setting the pace.