Boston Common Keeps Winning

Boston Common earned his 10th lifetime victory Thursday, winning the $107,600 El Conejo Handicap at Santa Anita. The 9-2 fourth choice, he beat 7-2 shot Summer Service by a neck in 1:02.35 for 5 1/2 furlongs.

Owned by Richard Englander, Boston Common, a 5-year-old gelded son of Boston Harbor, has picked up his six most recent wins at different venues.

Before his successful invasion of Santa Anita, Boston Common had won at Belmont Park, Charles Town, Delaware Park, Laurel and Golden Gate Fields.

Trained by Jeff Mullins, who also saddled third-place finisher and 7-5 favorite King Robyn, Boston Common went over $500,000 in career earnings and showed his versatility.

A wire-to-wire winner of the Oakland Handicap last month at Golden Gate, Boston Common on Thursday rallied from slightly off the pace under jockey Gary Stevens, then held off a late charge by Summer Service.

“I just told Gary I didn’t think the horse needed the lead and there was going to be plenty of pace,” Mullins said. “I told him to just sit on him and the class should get him there.”

King Robyn, who last year became the first horse to win a stakes at all six meets on the local circuit, was hounded by longshot Giovannetti through rapid fractions (21.27 for the first quarter-mile, 43.83 for a half-mile) and wound up beaten by a little less than two lengths.

Hasty Kris was fourth, then came Giovannetti and Casas Caballo in a field reduced after Avanzado, Grimm and Rojo Toro were scratched.

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Fit Performer, the 5-1 third choice, easily won the $81,600 Interborough Handicap at Aqueduct, beating 7-1 shot Drexel Monorail and five others by 6 1/4 lengths in 1:10.76 for six furlongs.

Jockey Julian Pimentel, who had three other winners on the card, rode the 7-year-old Fit to Fight mare for the Steel Your Face Stables and trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., who also won the $100,000 Tropical Park Oaks at Calder with Bobbie Use.

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Jockey Jerry Bailey guided 7-2 shot Kitten’s Joy to an easy victory in the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby at Calder.

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Trainer Bob Baffert, who has led the standings at the last seven winter-spring meets at Santa Anita, had three victories Thursday. He won the first race with Extreme Machine, the third with Mud Shark and the fifth with Shining Strike. The first two came with jockey Alex Solis.