Prayer for Relief continues his “derby” roll

Prayer for Relief kept his perfect record in 2011 intact with a front-running, 2 1/2-length victory in the $500,000 Super Derby (G2) at Louisiana Downs. This was the third “derby” win in a row, and fourth  consecutive win, for the 3-year-old colt, who won the West Virginia Derby (G2) and Iowa Derby (G3) this summer.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Prayer for Relief controlled things from the outset of the 1 1/8 mile contest. Without pressure from any of his foes, he set a relaxed pace, getting the first six furlongs in 1:15.49. When the field started to close in outside the eighth pole, Bejarano had plenty of horse and pulled away to finish the nine furlongs in 1:52.29 on the fast track.

“Today, I thought (Meistersinger, who never was involved) would be on the lead, but after the break you never know,” winning rider Rafael Bejarano said. “I was supposed to be the second speed, and (Trubs, who was second early) the third speed.”

“He has really blossomed over the past four months,” said Jimmy Barnes, assistant to Baffert. “Last year, he wasn’t showing what we wanted to see, so we had to run him where he was competitive, where he could win.”

The $300,000 payday boosted Prayer for Relief’s earnings to $965,500. Owned by Zayat Stables, his record now stands at 5-1-0 from eight starts. Zayat bought Prayer for Relief as a yearling for $80,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September sale.