Fujita Takes Saturday Feature

(June 7, 2008) – My Purple Haze Stables’ Fujita drew off in deep stretch to defeat Stryker and Parioli’s Trick, who dead-heated for second, by two lengths and win the $45,200 allowance feature for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Jesus Castanon, Fujita grabbed the lead from Stryker leaving the far turn and then shook off a challenge from Parioli’s Trick at the eighth pole to win comfortably.

As the even-money favorite, Fujita returned mutuels of $4.20, $2.60 and $2.20. Stryker, ridden by Calvin Borel, rewarded his backers with payoffs of $2.60 and $2.80. Parioli’s Trick, ridden by Jamie Theriot, returned $5.80 and $5.80 in the field of seven.

Fujita, a 3-year-old Maryland-bred son on Lion Hearted, covered the 6 ½ furlongs over a fast track in 1:15.58. The victory, the third in four career starts for the Todd Pletcher trainee, was worth $21,328 and increased his career earnings to $81,297. Fujita’s lone loss was a third-place finish behind Macho Again in the April 26 Derby Trial.

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