Usual Suspect pulls Downthedustyroad shocker

HOT SPRINGS, AR >> A return home and an uncontested lead helped Usual Suspect outrun her Arkansas- bred rivals in Saturday’s $100,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders’ Stakes before a crowd of 12,500 at Oaklawn.

Owned by Starsky Weast of Star City, AR, the 4-yearold filly by Primary Suspect pulled the 26-1 upset under jockey Richard Eramia in her first start of the year for trainer Karl Broberg, who had collected his 3,000th career win one day earlier.

“Man, I’ve been coming over watching her train in the mornings and she’s been training lights out, getting better every week,” Weast said. “(Assistant trainer) Kevin (Martin) told me that she was 100 percent, but we may need a race. To be honest, we put her in this race just to get a race. We were really wanting to get a top five and then revamp from there.”

Usual Suspect jumped to the lead after the start of the race was delayed by the late scratch of Firewater Rocket, who had broken through the starting gate. Eramia controlled the pace and saved enough to hold off a fast closing Fastanista to win the six-furlong contest by a neck in a time of 1:12 1/5 on a good track.

Favored Georgia’s Reward, who won last year’s Rainbow Miss Breeders’ Stakes over some of these same rivals, finished third.

Usual Suspect now has two victories from four career starts – both coming in wire-to-wire fashion at Oaklawn – and has earned $80,200. She paid $54.40, $21.80 and $9.40.

Earlier on the card, two trainers hit career mile- stones. Allen Milligan, Oaklawn’s leading trainer in 2009, earned his 1,000th career win when Keene Thoroughbreds LLC.’ s Soul P Say won the fifth race and nine- time leading trainer Steve Asmussen earned his 600th career win at Oaklawn when Three Chimneys Farm’s Get the Goodies won the sixth race.

“It’s a great feeling,” Milligan said. “I have a good crew. I’ve had a good crew all along. I have good owners. It’s just a really good feeling to finally get it done.”