HIALEAH, FL—JANUARY 29, 2011—Aliuska Gonzalez' Ivory Rain held off Conquistadorable B to collect his first career stakes win in the second running of The Tallahassee Stakes at Hialeah Race Park Sunday afternoon.

Both the top two finishers were outsiders in the wagering on the $22,375 Tallahassee, with the winner sent off at 12-1 and the second-place finisher dispatched at 17-1. Race favorite Cmon Man—who appeared to hop slightly as the gates opened—did make the lead, but settled for third place in the race at odds of 3-2.

With Miguel Martinez up, Ivory Rain broke alertly, surrendered the lead briefly, but roared back in the final yards to beat runner-up Conquistadorable B by a diminishing neck. He completed the 250 yards in :13.255 seconds, earning a 95 speed index. The $13,425 winner's purse pushed his earnings level over $28,000. The son of leading first crop sire Ivory James is 3-1-1 in nine starts.

Two races back Ivory Rain was an impressive daylight winner in a $10,000 Claiming event during his Hialeah debut on December 18. After that race trainer Eddy Ferreiro entered the bay in the $22,625 Biscayne Stakes where he finished a respectable fourth in his first try against stakes company. Prior to moving to Hialeah, the gelding was claimed at Evangeline Downs off trainer Justin Dehart when he finished third for $5,000 on November 3. Keith Renfro bred Ivory Rain in Kentucky from the Shawne Bug mare Drifting Shawne Bug.

Conquistadorable B, sired by last season's #2 leading first crop sire Valiant Hero, earned $4,475 for owner/trainer David Eastwood. The lightly raced filly, bred in Oklahoma by Stone Chase Stables, is 1-1-1 in four starts. She also was stepping up in class, after Eastwood claimed her for a $7,500 from Deon Jones on January 15 at Hialeah. The brown miss ridden by Ceasar Carrillo is out of the Fishers Dash mare She Travels.

Cmon Man, under Brian Theriot, finished ¾ back in the show position for his owner's Pat and Walt Fletcher. Charlton Hunt trains the Corona Cartel colt out of Ima Ramblin Girl, by First Down Dash. The Oklahoma homebred has earned $19,398 with a 2-1-1 record in seven starts.

Completing the Tallahassee field were Razmajazz, Pt First La Jolla, Hez Tricky Too, Rapid Ivory, Pattie Corona Today and Bankrupt City.

Sunday’s 10-race live program drew a family-day crowd estimated at 4,000. The total mutual handle was $202,425.

There are now just nine days of live racing left in the 2011-2012 season at Hialeah Park. When racing resumes on Friday February 3, post time will be at 2:05. It will remain as such for the duration of the schedule.