Flurry-owned favorite wins Super Derby

BOSSIER CITY, La. — The first Super Derby winner on grass has a real affection for the surface.

Mr. Misunderstood, owned by Staton Flurry of Hot Springs, remained unbeaten on turf with a three-length victory Saturday at Louisiana Downs. The Archarcharch gelding stalked the pace under Chris Rosier and led by one length at the head of the stretch.

Clocking a mile and sixteenth in 1:42.91 over a firm-rated surface, Mr. Misunderstood paid $3.40 to win as odds-on favorite. Pacesetter Phat Man finished second by two lengths over Sonneteer, the latter second in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at 112-1 odds and fourth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park this year.

In a race without show betting, Flying Honeypot and Fast Talkin Man completed the field and Gorgeous Kitten was scratched.

Now 5 for 5 on the grass, the Super Derby winner is six of 10 lifetime with career earnings of $243,794. He sold for $130,000 as a 2-year-old in March 2016 and, on his third try, gained his maiden victory at Indiana Grand Race Course.

Mr. Misunderstood has won five of his last six, finishing seventh in the Grade 3 Illinois Derby. He received a fees-paid berth to the first all-green Super Derby (after 37 runnings on dirt) with a

victory in Lousiana Downs’ Prelude Stakes Aug. 5. Saturday’s victory was worth $120,000. LH varsity teams win overall titles in meet

LITTLE ROCK — Lake Hamilton’s Josie Carson outdueled Benton’s Gracie Hyde for the second time in the young cross country season here Saturday in the Minuteman 5K.

Carson, a senior and three-time state cross country champion, pulled away in 19 minutes,

10.73 seconds over 3.1 miles. Hyde, also second to Carson in the Bob Gravett Invitational Sept. 2 in Arkadelphia, followed in 19:16.57.

Lake Hamilton outpointed Benton 106-124 for the team title with Meighan Mears 21st, Anna Cole

26th, Anacaron Ramos 27th and Madison Mears

31st for the Lady Wolves. Lakeside runners Natalie Jennings and Emily Milbourn placed 16th and 17th.

Omar Ramos placed third in 16:55.31 and Colby Swecker eighth in 17:20.26 for Lake Hamilton in the varsity boys’ race. Ramon Morales placed

14th, Skylar Davis 16th and Noah Smith 17th for the Wolves, winning the meet with a low score of 52 points.

Lake Hamilton’s William Swecker placed 10th and Ethan Smith 16th in the junior boys’ race, Lakeside’s Caleb Wrublesky 21st. Lake Hamilton’s Claire Evans were second (13:19.07) and Maylin Reyes ninth (13:57.68) in the junior girls’ race.