The six-furlong race was originally scheduled as a field of nine. But with four scratches, the competitive depth was significantly reduced.
That made little difference to the gray or roan son of Prospective.
Roll On Big Joe came out of the three lanes early with jockey Julien Leparoux and had to put his best foot forward because he was close Bourbon bash And Wendelssohn who recorded a split time of :22.4 for the first quarter mile. Wendelssohn led the half mile with a fractional time of :45.70.
Meanwhile placed class 1 Tejano Twist who did not jump out of the gate very well, found himself seven lengths back after that first call point. But that seemed to provide a spark when the Practical joke The gelding began to close the gap in front of him.
Roll On Big Joe, who had previously won the Ring The Bell Stakes over the same six-furlong distance at the Hot Springs, Ark., track, stepped forward to challenge the leaders at the top of the track and overtook them as the field marched down the stretch. He posted a fraction of: 57.64.
Jockey Francisco Arrieta had Tejano Twist attacking hard from the four paths. As much as Roll On Big Joe separated himself from Bourbon Bash and Wendelssohn, the six-year-old couldn’t quite shake off his late-arriving rival.
Tejano Twist edged out Wendelssohn and moved into second place with a sixteenth to go and had Roll On Big Joe in his sights by half a length.
But Roll On Big Joe, who defeated third-place Tejano Twist at the Ring The Bell, had enough to fend off his foe and secure the victory in 1:09.44.
“Big Heart,” trainer Bob Hess Jr. said. to FanDuel TV. “He broke maybe a little awkwardly. Maybe he wasn’t that enthusiastic today; it could have been a layoff without work for 20 days. He has a big heart.”
Owned by Rancho Temescal, Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, White Fence and Richard Hale Jr., Roll On Big Joe improves to 10-6-1 from 23 starts and $841,925 in career earnings. He was bred in Florida by Max Ubide.
Roll On Big Joe paid $3.40 as a 3-5 favorite. Tejano Twist was a half-length back in second and Wendelssohn was another one-and-a-half lengths back in third.
As for what’s next for his student, Hess said he will likely give him more time for his next race, which he hopes will be the April 11 $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn.
Roll On Big Joe was a $90,000 purchase by Rancho Temescal during Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s June 2, 2022 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale from Gayle Woods’ consignment.
Video: King Cotton S. (BT)
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