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Tap It Light dances to Tokyo City Cup victory

Tap It Light scored his first stakes win in the Tokyo City Cup (Benoit Photos) Scott Anastasi, Dan Capen and James Ukegawa et al's TAP IT LIGHT (General Meeting) tracked the pacesetting Eagle Poise (Empire Maker) for much of Saturday's $100,000 Tokyo City Cup H. (G3) at Santa Anita, took over from that rival entering the stretch run and pulled off the three-quarter length score with jockey Tyler Baze in the saddle. Sent off the 9-1 fourth pick in the eight-horse field, the Mike Mitchell charge ran 1 1/2 miles on the Pro-Ride in 2:29 3/5 to return $21.60, $8.60 and $4.20 to his supporters. "The only instructions Mike gave me were, 'Don't fight him,' Baze said. "He broke a length behind everybody and I just let him pick it up as he wanted to. He doesn't really have a big turn of foot, so when we were going to the three-eighths pole, I just went for it. I didn't want to wait for someone to come up to me and then have to try and quicken because that's not his game." Rendezvous (Victory Gallop) came four wide down the lane to get up by a half-length on Eagle Poise, paying $4.60 and $3.20 as the 3-1 second choice. Eagle Poise, the 7-2 third pick, established splits of :49 3/5, 1:15 1/5 and 1:40 4/5 before weakening in the stretch run to be worth $4 in the show spot. The $1 exotics gave back $49.30 (exacta), $182.20 (trifecta) and $568.70 (1-7-2-5 superfecta).

Philatelist (Rahy) rounded out the top four and was followed under the line by Quindici Man (Came Home), Snowmaster (Maria's Mon) and Unusual Suspect (Unusual Heat). High Court Drama (Theatrical [Ire]) raced in contention on the front end, but was pulled up on the clubhouse turn and vanned off.

Tap It Light has played musical barns for the past couple years, claimed three times since April of 2008. Mitchell himself claimed the chestnut in August of 2008 at Del Mar for $40,000.

"I liked his looks," Mitchell explained when asked why he claimed Tap It Light, "but I didn't know that he could go this far. But the more I worked with him, the more I thought he would run long."

Tap It Light immediately came back to win a starter handicap at Fairplex Park. Not seen in competition again for nearly 16 months, the gelding returned on January 10 at Santa Anita to add an allowance/optional claimer to his line in his six-year-old bow. Runner-up in a similar test prior to his one, Tap It Light earned his first stakes score in this spot following a pair of black-type placings earlier in his career. His record now reads 26-8-4-3, $368,211.

Bred in California by Paula Capestro and Rick Taylor, Tap It Light is the second registered foal out of Popular Opinion (Half a Year), who has also produced an unnamed juvenile filly by Freespool. Popular Opinion is herself a half-sibling to multiple stakes winner Funny Tale (*Habitony). This is the same family as Share the Fantasy (Exclusive Native), winner of the 1982 Spinaway S. (G1), as well as Grade 2 heroes Lismore Knight (Woodman) and Tokatee (Seattle Slew).

Tap It Light, who passed through the sales ring as a $5,000 Barretts October yearling, could show up next in the April 18 San Juan Capistrano H. (G2), according to Mitchell.

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