Conquest Tsunami wins Clocker's Corner stakes eight days after previous stakes race

Eight days after finishing third in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes race San Luis Rey Training Center gelding Conquest Tsunami won the Clocker’s Corner Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

Conquest Tsunami’s win in the Jan. 27 stakes race was by 4 1/4 lengths over second-place Cistron, and the horse in conjunction with jockey Drayden Van Dyke led throughout the 6 1/2-furlong race.

“He’s a very good horse,” trainer Peter Miller said.

The Jan. 19 Palos Verdes Stakes was a six-furlong race on Santa Anita’s dirt track. After breaking third, Conquest Tsunami was in the lead after one-quarter of a mile and also after half a mile, but he was overtaken by Roy H before entering the stretch. Kanthaka passed Conquest Tsunami in the stretch. Conquest Tsunami finished 1 1/2 lengths behind Kanthaka and 5 1/2 lengths in back of Roy H.

Roy H, who had a winning time of 1:08.89 as well as a four-length margin at the finish line, is also trained by Miller.

“No shame in losing to Roy H,” Miller said.

Miller and owner Gary Barber entered Conquest Tsunami in the Clocker’s Corner Stakes eight days later.

“That’s very unusual,” Miller said of a horse running two stakes races in a nine-day period.

“I knew he could do it,” Miller said. “He’s very high energy and very sound.”

The Clocker’s Corner Stakes was run on Santa Anita’s turf course. Nine horses competed in the race. Van Dyke took Conquest Tsunami to the front early.

“That was pretty much the plan,” Miller said.

Conquest Tsunami completed the first quarter-mile in 21.06 seconds and was 1 1/2 lengths in front of Cistron, who was second for the entire race. The horses had been racing for 42.65 seconds when Conquest Tsunami finished his fourth furlong with a 2-length lead over Cistron. Conquest Tsunami entered the stretch 1:04.90 after the start of the race and was three lengths in front of Cistron.

The winning time for Conquest Tsunami was 1:11.02.

“He got a very good trip,” Miller said. “Very good ride.”

The Clocker’s Corner Stakes was for horses 4 years old and upward who had not won a graded stakes race since July 1, 2018. The previous win for Conquest Tsunami was in a graded stakes race but Feb. 24, 2018, when he won the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes at Santa Anita. Conquest Tsunami also led throughout that race.

Conquest Tsunami had seven races between his Daytona Stakes win and his Clocker’s Corner Stakes victory. He finished second in two of those races and third in three others. He finished 11th among the 14 horses in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and was 12th in a Del Mar Thoroughbred Club stakes race in which he led for the first half of the one-mile race.

The Clocker’s Corner Stakes race was Conquest Tsunami’s 30th start and ninth win. Three of those wins have been under Miller, whose first race with Conquest Tsunami was a first-place result at Santa Anita in January 2018. Conquest Tsunami was foaled in Ontario, Canada, April 22, 2012; he was sired by More Than Ready out of Elusive Diva.

Conquest Tsunami raced three times in January 2019; he led most of the Grade 3 Joe Hernandez Stakes Jan. 1, before finishing third. In October 2016 when Conquest Tsunami was racing at Toronto’s Woodbine track and trained by Mark Casse, he won an allowance race 18 days after finishing second in his previous start.

Miller and Barber have not yet made a decision about Conquest Tsunami’s next race.