SOUL SACRIFICE RUNS WIN STREAK TO THREE IN ROW BY TAKING JIM THORPE STAKES VICTORY

Soul Sacrifice skimmed the rail under jockey Jose Alvarez coming down the stretch squeezing inside runner-up Eakly and kicking on for the win in the $50,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes on Friday night at Remington Park.
 
The 3-year-old gelded son of Home of the Brave (Tiznow), out of the Super Saver mare Dulces Suenos, won for the third time in a row, all at Remington Park, but broke through for his first stakes win of his young career. Alvarez’s adept slingshot move to the inside rail put Soul Sacrifice past Eakly and he went on to win by 1-1/4 lengths in the one-mile stakes for 3-year-old Oklahoma-breds.
 
It was the first win in the Jim Thorpe Stakes series for all the connections of Soul Sacrifice. The score was the second stakes win of the night for Alvarez who won the Useeit Stakes with Nice Neighbor. Alvarez won the Thorpe for trainer Shawn Davis and owner Casner Racing (Bill Casner) of Versailles, Ky. Davis and Alvarez combined for four wins together this week on a red hot streak.
 
Soul Sacrifice won here at seven furlongs on Oct. 11 among $20,000 claimers, non-winners-of-three lifetime by three lengths and then followed that with a trip to the winner’s circle, stepping up in class to first-level allowance horses at 6-1/2 furlongs on Nov. 17 to win by 7-1/2 lengths. That win was so impressive that his connections stepped him up again on Friday night in the Jim Thorpe Stakes and he just kept on winning. Previously, he had tried stakes company twice and finished a distance sixth both times. He lost by 23 lengths in the $75,000 Don McNeill Stakes on Nov. 11 last year as a 2-year-old and then his first stakes try this year by 13 lengths in the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes on Sept. 8.
 
Friday night’s effort was a whole new deal for this gelding, sent off at 3-1 odds as the second-wagering favorite despite his previous tries against stakes horses. He paid $8.60 to win, $4.20 to place and $2.60 to show. Soul Sacrifice earned $30,000 for Casner. He is home-bred in Oklahoma by Susan Casner. He improved his record to 11 starts with five wins and $99,079 in his bankroll. He has never run second or third in his career. Oddly enough, he was crushed by Kodaline, Rachel’s Caper, Send the Boss and Eakly in previous races, all horses he defeated in the Jim Thorpe on Friday.
 
Alvarez set Soul Sacrifice down for the drive in the stretch after sitting in third most of the way. By the top of the stretch he was second, only a half-length behind Eakly and that’s when he pounced to the inside. Eakly had set interior fractions of :24.40 for the first quarter-mile, :48.91 for the half-mile, and 1:14.08 for three-quarters of a mile. Soul Sacrifice passed Eakly and finished the mile in 1:39.30 over a muddy track.
 
Eakly (9-2) held on for second, 3-1/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher C W Prize (Even-money favorite). The rest of the finish was Send the Boss (11-1) fourth, Bobwhite Bobby (10-1) fifth, Rachel’s Caper (17-1) sixth and Kodaline (8-1) seventh.

The Jim Thorpe Stakes is named after the native Oklahoman and Olympic gold-medalist who was considered the greatest athlete of the 20th century.
 
Remington Park has provided more than $340 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
 
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