BY BROCK SHERIDAN
A winner of 10 of his 13 starts this year including his last five, Florida-bred Spikezone will test the waters against stakes company for the first time Wednesday in the $75,000 Let’s Give Thanks Stakes at Parx Racing. The 5-year-old gelded son of Speightster is the 3-1 second choice among the nine 3-year-olds and older who will go six-and-a-half furlongs.
Spikezone started the year with an eight-length victory against first condition, $16,000 optional claimers at Tampa Bay Downs in January and has had several equally impressive performances since. He won a six-and-a-half-furlong allowance race by eight-and-a-half lengths at Parx in June and scored by nearly 10 lengths two starts back in a $40,000 optional claiming starter allowance at Delaware Park on Oct. 17.
Last out while racing six furlongs at Laurel on Nov. 1, Spikezone won an upper-level allowance race by length-and-a-quarter.
Trained by Jamie Ness for Troy Johnson, Charles Lo and Jagger Inc., Spikezone has a career ledger of 13 wins, three seconds and five thirds in 24 starts with earnings of $437,622. Spikezone is out of the Stay Thirsty mare Blameitontheice and was bred in Florida by Bishop Racing Inc.
He was purchased as a yearling for $19,000 by Weston Thoroughbreds as an agent out of Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales consignment at the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale.
Ness has given the riding assignment to Mychel Sanchez and they have post six.
The 9-5 program favorite is Angkor, who came up a half-length shy of winner Gulfport when third in the $300,000 Bet On Sunshine going six furlongs at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2 in his last race.
While Angkor has not won since taking a third condition, $100,000 optional claiming at Churchill Downs in May in his first start of the year, the 6-year-old gelding has several solid efforts in his five starts since. He was second to Closethegame Sugar in the $235,000 Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs in June and third in the Grade 1 Forego won by Mullikin at Saratoga on Aug. 24.
By Anchor Down out of Afleet Lover, by Northern Afleet, Angkor has won four with seven second and eight thirds from 26 career starts while banking $599,295.
Jaime Torres will ride Angkor from the inside post one for owners Wynnstay LLC and H. Allen Poindexter.
Others entered include One More Scoop with Andrew Wolfsont named to ride, Veeson and jockey Frankie Pennington, Depoli will have Adam Bowman in the saddle, Paco Lopez has the call on Capo, Jevian Toledo has the mount of Witting, Windsor Gold will be ridden by Dexter Haddock and Ruben Silvera rides Debit Card.
