BALTIMORE – Southern Image, a Californian gold-digger, vaulted into America’s top handicap ranks with a decisive victory in the $500,000 Pimlico Special yesterday to give him three Grade 1 wins from his last four starts.
The race lost a bit of its original luster when Funny Cide was scratched Thursday because of the heat.
Southern Image made it look easy. A 4-year-old son of Halo’s Image, Southern Image, ridden by Californian Victor Espinoza, tracked the front-runner Midway Road throughout the mile and three-sixteenths trip, then when the real running began left Midway Road in his dust to draw off by more than a length over a slow, deep track.
Bowman’s Band, a 20-1 longshot sent down from Belmont by Allen Jerkens, ran a huge race, in third most of the way, then held that position in the run to the wire.
Behind him came Evening Attire, who, like the 8-5 favorite, Dynever, never got into the race because of the slow early fractions. It was only in the last three furlongs that the pacesetters began to whistle.
Horseplayers let the winner get away from them. Southern Image opened the even money favorite, but at post time he had drifted out to 9-5 while Dynever was hammered down to 8-5.
Southern Image has now won six of seven races for his owners and trainer Michael Machowsky to take his earnings to more than $1.7 million. He ran the Special in 1:55.4.
Earlier, trainer Bob Baffert and Jerry Bailey teamed to win the Black-Eyed Susan with Yearly Report at 1-2, beating Pawyne Princess and Rare Gift.