Stakes Winner Justifies Trainer’S Confidence Danzilation Offsets Slow Start To Capture Feature At Playfair

Vince Gibson was more than a little confident going into Sunday night’s $10,000 Juvenile Stakes at Playfair Race Course.

“Goodbye, starter! Hello, judge!”

the trainer of 1-to-2 favorite Danzilation crowed, referring to officials who would greet his colt in the winner’s enclosure.

Realizing how cocky that came off, Gibson winced and said, “We’d better win, as much as I’ve been talking about it. Lose and I’ll have to find a place to hide.”

For a couple of anxious seconds after the break, it appeared that hiding might be a good idea.

Danzilation and jockey Clark Jones were late out of the gate in the 6-furlong dash for eight of the track’s fastest youngsters.

Danzilation had to fight through the first 100 yards to find the front end, but once he cleared early leader High Tailing, he was on his way to the biggest of his four career wins.

With the $6,552 winner’s check, Danzilation pushed his career earnings to more than $27,000 for owner Elwin Gibson of Eatonville, Wash., Vince Gibson’s uncle.

“He gets better every trip,” said Jones, the jockey from Kennewick who rode Danzilation to a 9-length romp two weeks ago in the $7,000 Columbia Rivers Stakes at Portland Meadows. “He had to be better to recover from that start. He was just a little anxious and got left.”

Danzilation won by a length in a brisk - for 2-year-olds here this season - time of 1:14. Fast-closing filly Easy Lisa and jockey Lorenzo Lopez ran second. The Danzilation-Easy Lisa exacta payoff was a slim $3.50. The wagering public was as high on Danzilation’s chances as his trainer was.

Earlier on the card, trainer Patricia Gregg swept the first three places in the $2,000 Arabian Racing Council colts and gelding stakes, winning with Moby Dick.

Moby Dick won his fifth straight race, and fourth in a row at this meeting that tonight is down to its final 12 racing days.

Lopez had the assignment on Moby Dick, although the track’s leading rider was serving the first of a two-night suspension for interference, Under terms of the brief suspension, Lopez is allowed to ride in stakes events.

He’ll be idled tonight but will return on Fan Appreciation Night on Wednesday.