Wait a While kicks off year with stakes win

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (Sports Network) - Former Eclipse Award winner Wait a While rallied along the rail to win Monday's rescheduled $150,000 San Gorgonio Handicap at Santa Anita Park.

Wait a While, the 2006 champion three-year-old filly, received the majority of support at the windows as she was sent off as the 3-10 favorite in the five- horse field. This was her first start of 2008 and just her fourth in the last six months.

Setting the pace in the 1 1/8 mile turf event was Sohgol, with Costume to her outside and Wait a While stalking on the inside. Around the final turn the favorite, with Garrett Gomez riding, moved along the rail and into the lead.

Wait a While proved to be too much for her competition down the stretch, she posted a 1 1/2 length victory over Lavender Sky. Sohgol finished third followed by Costume and Hucking Hot.

"We ended up pinned down on the rail behind horses and I just had to be patient," said Gomez. "Going to the far turn it seemed like everybody was waiting on me. David (Flores, aboard Sohgol) came off the fence just enough to let me through and she really accelerated and opened up right there. At that point I was glad I was sitting where I was. She acted like she's come through there a hundred times and she hasn't."

The time for the San Gorgonio Handicap was 1:46.81 on a firm turf course. Heavy rain last week caused the race to be postponed.

Wait a While registered her seventh career win on the turf and 10th overall. The five-year-old earned $90,000 with Monday's victory and now has more than $1.8 million in the bank.

The mare is owned by Arindel Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, who picked up his 2,000th career win over the weekend.

"We'll probably run her in the Santa Ana (1 1/8 miles on turf, March 23)," Pletcher commented, "and come back in the fall for the Breeders' Cup. She'll probably go back to Saratoga in the summer. We're very excited that the Breeders' Cup is here. We just hope we can keep her healthy. She seems to like this course."

Wait A While returned $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10. Lavender Sky paid $4.60 and $3.00, and Sohgol paid $2.60 to show.