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Longshot Si Sage captures Last Tycoon at 42-1

Si Sage ran away with the Last Tycoon to earn his first stakes score (Benoit Photos) Si Sage (Sageburg) tracked in second throughout Saturday's $100,750 Last Tycoon S. (G3) at Santa Anita Park, but was in front when it really mattered -- at the wire. With jockey Elvis Trujillo aboard and sporting blinkers for the first time, the Darrell Vienna trainee settled just behind the pacesetting Joes Blazing Aaron (Graeme Hall) as that one led the field past the grandstand for the first time and through the backstretch in fractions of :23 4/5, :48 1/5, 1:13 and 1:37 4/5. Si Sage began his run rounding the final turn, ranging up to the longtime leader's outside before easily cruising on by. The five-year-old bay opened up in the lane to be 3 1/4 lengths clear on the wire. "He breezed with blinkers and he breezed very well so they wanted to keep them on," Trujillo explained. "He's a very nice horse. He's from France so I think he's used to the softer turf. "I rode him the time before his last race and I told Darrell Vienna that I thought he needed blinkers. He said we'll wait, race him without and then work him with the blinkers and see how it goes. He worked with them and he worked so good. I knew he could win.

"Darrell told me that 'You know the horse, you work him, it's your decision where to place him in the race.' We sat behind and he was ready to go in the stretch."

"I think the blinkers made a difference on this horse," Vienna agreed. "Elvis had been working him, he said maybe blinkers would help and I think he was right. I trained him once in them before but I didn't think he liked them. He worked very well in his last work with the blinkers. Frankly, I was hoping they would make a difference for him.

"I wasn't actually looking at the fractions, I was watching him, and frankly I was never worried. I thought he was always running pretty easily. I should say I was a little worried early when he was tugging, but after he settled on the turn, I felt pretty good, and then I could see he wasn't asking him at all, and then he did."

Campaigned by Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal and Vayaconsuerte LLC, Si Sage completed 1 1/4 miles over the firm turf in 2:02 to claim his first stakes victory in style. He paid $87.60 to his faithful, but few, supporters as the 42-1 longest shot in the eight-horse field.

Ganesh (Sulamani) was the winner of a three-way photo for second, getting his nose in front at just the right moment over Abbey Vale (Moss Vale), who in turn had a head in front of fourth-place finisher Power Foot (Powerscourt).

Not only was Si Sage earning his first stakes win in the Last Tycoon, it was also his first U.S. victory from 11 starts. Beginning his career in his native France, the bay's best black-type effort overseas came as second in the 2013 Prix du Pont-Neuf in his final start. He shipped stateside and proceeded to be fifth in both the Oceanside S. and La Jolla H. (G2) before a 10th-place finish in the Del Mar Derby (G2), all at Del Mar.

Wrapping up his sophomore campaign with a dead-heat, short-neck third in the Sir Beaufort S. (G2), Si Sage produced his best 2014 effort when opening the season with a second in the San Marcos S. (G2). He was never close to hitting the board in his remaining four starts last year and thus far in 2015 has been fourth against allowance/optional claiming company and sixth in the Thunder Road S.

Saturday's victory in the Last Tycoon bumped Si Sage's career earnings to $255,494 and his line now stands at 23-4-6-2.

Bred in France by Ecurie D., the five-year-old bay is out of San Rien (Poliglote) and counts as his fourth dam classic-placed Group 3 heroine Boreale (Bellypha). His female family also includes French champion Princesse Lida (Nijinsky II) and English champion *Carlemont as well as Group 1 winners Corre Caminos (Montjeu) and Recital (Montjeu).

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