Maria Margarita was slow out of the gate and relegated to last in the early goings of today’s fourth race. She was stuck behind horses after the poor beginning and the early pace setters O’s Golden Mink and Splash Power, who set very slow fractions of 25.10 for the first quarter and 51.13 for the half mile. Favorite Polish Star received a comfy trip under jockey Jose Zunino, who geared that one to the outside and pulled away through the stretch to win by a comfortable two length margin. Maria Margarita rallied outside rivals but could only manage to finish fourth.
“She had a rough first couple of furlongs,” said trainer Ben Root. “She had to go very wide on the second turn and that didn’t help things. She came back great though, so we’ll look for another spot in a couple weeks.”
Maria Margarita picked up $255 in earnings and has now earned $5,355 for the season thus far.
Maria Margarita races as the People’s Horse on behalf of her honorary owners and fans. Fans can become honorary owners of Maria Margarita simply by signing up. To sign up, simply email info@portlandmeadows.com and tell us you want to become an honorary owner of The People’s Horse, Maria Margarita. Portland Meadows will match Maria Margarita’s season earnings at the end of the meeting, and donate that amount to the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund.
News and Notes…….Jose Zunino, Joe Crispin and Troy Stillwell all had riding doubles on the Monday card…..Cousin Eddy, winner of the 5th race scored a huge upset at 45 to 1, returning $92.00 for a $2.00 winning ticket…..Portland Meadows will be featuring a great buffet in the Turf Club for the Martin Luther King Day Jr. Holiday. The buffet is $12.95 and will feature Chicken Parmesan and a beef and sausage lasagna. For reservations email info@portlandmeadows.com or call 503-285-9144