Luck pays off twice for Annie’s Candy in riding to victory at Oak Tree Sprint

Owner Scott Herbertson admitted after winning the $53,225 Oak Tree Sprint with Annie’s Candy that his horse was lucky on two counts Wednesday.

Odds-on favorite My Friend Emma ducked out a couple of jumps after the start and tossed jockey Ricardo Gonzalez to the Pleasanton track. The ultra-fast My Friend Emma had beaten Annie’s Candy by 2¾ lengths in the first division of the Albany Stakes on June 9 at Golden Gate Fields.

The mishap left Annie’s Candy with an uncontested lead in the 6-furlong race, and he easily beat stablemate Tribal Storm by 2 lengths in 1:10.99 for his sixth win in 26 starts.

“Our plan was to stay closer to Emma, and it was a good thing because once that happened to him, we were already on the lead,” said Herbertson, whose son, Ari, trains his horses. “We were also lucky that Allen (owner Aldrich) didn’t run his horse in this race.”

The elder Herbertson was referring to Sir Vronski, who went faster throughout the 6-furlong, $40,000 claimer preceding the Oak Tree Sprint and won it by 4 lengths in 1:10.17.

The Herbertsons claimed Annie’s Candy for $25,000 out of a victory May 28 at Golden Gate Fields. They had claimed the stretch-running

Tribal Storm, a two-time stakes winner, for $62,500 a month earlier.

Gonzalez escaped injury, and he left the Bay Area for Altoona, Iowa, where he rides Mended for trainer John F. Martin in the $100,000 Iowa Distaff on Thursday night at Prairie Meadows.

Briefly: Sir Vronski’s victory was the 21st of his career — the most of any Northern California horse — in just 35 starts. It was his fifth win in nine races on dirt, and he is 10-for-14 on synthetic and 6-for-12 on turf. He also is 15for-23 in sprints and 6-for-12 in routes. … In Wednesday’s first race, Cowboy Way prevailed by a neck in a three-way photo finish to win the $5,800 Fred Cox Stakes for mules — his third victory in 18 days. … Foose Dependent won the $8,800 Jack Robinson Handicap for quarter horses for her second win of the fair season. … Cozze Kid, who won her debut by 8¾ lengths May 4 at Golden Gate Fields, drew the rail in a field of seven for Saturday’s $100,000 Everett Nevin Stakes. Cozze Kid is the only filly in the 5½-furlong race for California-bred or -sired 2-year-olds.