Take the One O One Takes Tainted $200,000 Snow Chief

ARCADIA, CA – Jay Em Ess Stable experienced “the highest of highs and the lowest of lows” on Saturday when only one of its two entries, Take the One O One, was able to survive the $200,000 Snow Chief Stakes at Santa Anita.

Breaking well along the rail under Joe Talamo, Take the One O One saved ground in third while Huddle posted initial splits of :23.17, :48.28, and 1:13.99. At the top of the stretch, the bunched-up field spread five-wide. Tipping out into the three-path as part of that group, Take the One O One wrestled command in midstretch before kicking away clear and hitting the wire first by 1 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:49.38 for the 1 1/8-mile turf event.

“He ran well,” Koriner said. “He relaxed, he went nice, had a good kick.”

The 3-2 favorite Hardboot was running along the outside of the winner in the stretch but didn’t have enough left in his tank to keep up and settled for second, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Psycho Dar. Hit the Seam took fourth by a length over Huddle, while Continental Divide was several lengths back in sixth.

Tragedy struck midway down the front stretch when Jay Em Ess Stable’s other runner, Waya Ed, attempted to find running room between horses and clipped heels with Hit the Seam. Waya Ed tumbled to the turf while catapulting jockey Tiago Pereira high in the air. Waya Ed did not survive the accident, while Pereira was transported to a local hospital. At the time of publish, Pereira was reportedly able to move his extremities.

“The highest of highs and the lowest of lows in a fifth of a second,” said Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Stable. “I don’t even know what happened.”

Take the One O One’s win, his first career stakes score, came in only his second attempt over turf. The 3-year-old son of Acclamation improved his career record to 8-3-1-3 with career earnings of $255,681. Koriner stated that the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, scheduled for September 2 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, was a likely future target.

Take the One O One returned $5.20 to win, $2.80 to place, and $2.60 to show. Hardboot brought back $2.60 to place and $2.40 to show, while Psycho Dar paid $3.40 to show.