$150,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes -- FAVORITE FUNTIME

Benoit Photo

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Apr. 28, 2002) -- Carrying the colors of the late John Mabee and his widow, Betty, Grade I winner Favorite Funtime turned back the challenge of odds-on favorite Go Go and drew off to win the $150,000 B. Thoughtful Stakes for older fillies and mares at Gold Rush III at Hollywood Park.

Mabee, a three-time Eclipse Award winner for breeding, died Wednesday night after suffering a stroke. He was 80. Hollywood Park paid tribute to Mabee immediately following the B. Thoughtful.

Favorite Funtime is a 5-year-old daughter of Seeking the Gold, out of the Youth mare Promising Girl, and was bred in California by the Mabees and races for their Golden Eagle Farm. This was her seventh win (four of them stakes) in 14 career starts, the first-place check raising her earnings to $507,900.

Favorite Funtime was coming off three consecutive Grade I starts. The middle one was a win in the Feb. 17 Santa Maria Handicap, but she stopped in her most recent race, the Santa Margarita, after leading for the first six furlongs.

Shortening to seven furlongs for the B. Thoughtful, Favorite Funtime outran Filigree for the early lead down the backstretch.

Go Go, the 3-5 public choice, made a run at Favorite Funtime going into the far turn but was no match for the winner, who won by 1 1/4 lengths over Song of Summer, with the late-running Warren's Whistle third. Go Go, making her first start in eight months, faded to fourth.