Gold Rush

$200,000 Melair Stakes
BEL AIR SIZZLE

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Apr. 27, 2008) - Wheeled back three days after an allowance win, Bel Air Sizzle was moved up via disqualification to win Sunday’s roughly run $200,000 Melair Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old fillies on the Gold Rush card at Hollywood Park.

First-place finisher Gambler’s Justice, with Richard Migliore up, bumped odds-on favorite Final Fling and jockey Garrett Gomez near the eighth pole. Final Fling stumbled after the contact, bounced off the rail, then re-rallied to finish third behind Gambler’s Justice and Bel Air Sizzle.

Gambler’s Justice was dropped to third by the stewards for interference, moving up Bel Air Sizzle to first and Final Fling to second.

Said Migliore: "I told the stewards that I thought that other filly tried to fit in a very ambitious spot. It’s a spot where horses are changing leads. She made contact with us and turned my filly on top of her."

Said Gomez: "She was going through the hole when that other mare tightened us up. My mare got scared and freaked out. She wanted out of there before she got hurt. She ht the fence and almost fell. If she was allowed to run straight, she would have won by five."

Bel Air Sizzle is by Unusual Heat, out of the Runaway Groom mare Bel Air Belle, was bred by owners Abrams, Loverso and Auerbach, was foaled at Old English Rancho, ridden by Rafael Bejarano and trained by Barry Abrams, who supposedly mistakenly entered her. Abrams won the previous race on the Gold Rush card, the B. Thoughtful Stakes, with Spenditallbaby, also sired by Unusual Heat.

"Obviously, we got lucky," said Abrams. "Unusual Heat is a great sire and it’s an unusually hot day today."

Bel Air Sizzle has four wins in nine starts, earnings of $259,940 and was coming off a win in a Thursday allowance. The winning time was 1:43.38.

For Bel Air Sizzle’s pedigree, click http://www.pedigreequery.com/bel+air+sizzle.