Solis earns 5,000th win aboard 19-1 Lutine Belle in Blue Norther

The countdown to Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis' 5,000th career win finally

reached its conclusion, appropriately enough, on New Year's Day at Santa Anita.

The respected reinsman engineered a 19-1 upset aboard Lutine Belle, owned in

partnership by his son Alex Solis II and trained by

fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, in the $79,250

Blue

Norther. Overlooked in her turf debut, Lutine Belle collared fellow 19-1

shot American Sun in deep stretch and sparked a $41.80 win mutuel.

"It's very special," said Solis, who has won three riding titles at The Great

Race Place. "At the time, I just tried to ride the race and of course Jerry

asked me not to get her stuck on the rail.

"At the five-sixteenths, she gave me a nice kick and when I got her out from

the rail she finished really strong. The last 200 yards is when I realized I was

about to win my 5,000th.

"It is nice to get it out of the way. It just stayed (stuck on 4,999) for a

long time. It just kept standing and standing. It's done now and it was special

to do it on one of my son's horses. That made it more special."

Lutine Belle, on the other hand, had clear sailing on the outside. Making

good progress in the final furlong, she forged ahead by 1 1/4 lengths and

covered the grassy mile in 1:35 2/5. The luckless Rainha da Bateria saw daylight

too late, and flew to grab third. Early leader Pankhurst tired to last.

"We felt she would fit nicely with these fillies if she could handle the

turf," Hollendorfer said. "We weren't concerned about getting her off the pace

because it looked like there was plenty of speed in the race. I was concerned

about her getting pushed down inside (from post position 4). She did get pushed

down there going into the first turn, but Alex was able to get her out down the

backside.

"I'm really pleased to be a part of this with Alex. He's been a great rider

and it's nice to do it in a race like this."

Owned by KMN Racing, Lutine Belle has earned $92,700 from her 6-3-1-1 line.

The newly-minted sophomore by Bellamy Road was seventh in her stakes debut in

the September 27 Chandelier on the Santa Anita dirt, and she was most recently

third in the November 29 Golden Gate Debutante on her Tapeta home track.

Lutine Belle was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm and John R. Penn. Sold for

only $14,000 as a Keeneland November weanling, the bay brought $40,000 as a

yearling at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October. She was produced by the unraced Mazel

Trick mare Timeless Trick, who is a half-sister to multiple Japanese stakes

scorer Le Mars Girl.