Hasta La Vista puts cap on meeting

PHOENIX – The $30,000 Hasta La Vista Handicap, the traditional closing-day event, brings down the curtain Sunday on the 62nd season of racing at Turf Paradise. The Hasta La Vista, at 1 7/8 miles on turf, matches nine long-fused veterans and goes as the final race on the eightrace card, which also features the $30,000 Turf Paradise Open Spring Futurity (race 7). A field of 12 qualified for that five-furlong dash for 2-year-olds consigned to the 2017 Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association fall sale.

Stratton, a 6-year-old gelded son of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect, may be sitting on a top try in the Hasta La Vista for owner Tom Metzger Sr. and Owlcatraz Racing Stable and trainer Dan McFarlane. He won a mile firstlevel allowance race here Feb. 18, then rallied for third against $16,000 claimers going about 7 1/2 furlongs here March 3, before finishing strongly to be a sharp third, beaten just a neck, in the 1 3/8-mile Wildcat Handicap here March 31. The Wildcat is the local stepping-stone to this race, but neither of the top two finishers, Power Corrupt or High Society, is in the field for the Hasta La Vista. Stratton worked a bullet five furlongs in 58.80 seconds here April 27.

The opposition is stiff, however. It includes Jomelo, winner under a hand ride of the Turf Distance Series Finale at 1 1/2 miles here March 7; Pacific Nights, second to Jomelo in the Turf Distance Series before an eighth in the Wildcat; Blue Bomber, winner of this race in 2016 and second last year; and Aventador, who returns from Santa Anita where he ran second against $25,000 claimers April 21 and has won multiple times on this course.

◗ Call Waiting and Rents Over Due were the two fastest qualifiers at 4 1/2 furlongs here April 14 to the Spring Futurity. Call Waiting, a son of Uh Oh Bango owned by the Triple AAA Ranch and trained by Scott Rollins, won his debut in the qualifier by 7 1/4 lengths. Rents Over Due, owned by the Sawyer Cattle Company and trained by McFarlane, won his qualifier by three lengths. The winner of the other qualifier, Senoradiablo, a son of Flat Out owned by Tim Bankers and trained by Manuel Ortiz, won his division in his debut.

◗ Racing returns to the Phoenix track for its 63rd season on Oct. 13.