Racing


The Fiscal Cliff Wins $24,000 Skip Zimmerman Stakes
The Fiscal Cliff, under jockey Bentio Baca, winning the $24,000 Skip Zimmerman Quarter Horse Stakes by a neck Sunday at Canterbury Park.

© Coady Photography
The Fiscal Cliff Wins $24,000 Skip Zimmerman Stakes

SHAKOPEE, MN—JUNE 18, 2017—The Fiscal Cliff won the $24,000 Skip Zimmerman Quarter Horse Stakes by a neck Sunday at Canterbury Park.

The prohibitive wagering favorite, who returned $3.60 to win, was ridden by Benito Baca and is trained by Kasey Willis. The Fiscal Cliff, owned by Thomas Lepic of Iowa City, Iowa, has won 11 of 18 races and $358,118 in purses.

Final time for the 350 yards was 17.757 seconds over a main track listed as good.

"He didn’t break really well," Lepic said. "It looked like he didn’t get ahold of the ground at first."

The Fiscal Cliff last raced April 22 at Remington Park. Willis is pointing the 4-year-old colt to the Bank of America Canterbury Park Championship Challenge, a 440-yard race with a $60,000 added purse, on July 4.

Owner Tom Lepic (left) and jockey Benito Baca accept the Skip Zimmerman Stakes trophy Sunday at Canterbury Park.
© Coady Photography
"We needed this start," Lepic said. "He hasn’t run in two months. This one will help him."

The graded stakes winning son of leading sire Pyc Paint Your Wagon has compiled an (18) 11-6-0 record and today's $12,000 Zimmerman purse pushed the bay's earnings total to over $358,000.

Lepic bred The Fiscal Cliff from the Shazoom mare Signs Zoomer.

Streakin Pr, also trained by Willis, finished second and Jr Rock Star was third. David Pinon rode Streakin Pr for owner Thomas Scheckel. The stakes winning son of Corona Cartel is out of Bonnie Streakin by Streakin La Jolla. Bred in Oklahoma by Pine Ridge Farm LLC, the bay gelding earned $4,800 to bring his bankroll total to nearly $190,000.

Jr Rock Star is a 4-year-old daughter of Fantastic Corona Jr owned by Don Webb and trained by Jason Omstead. Justin Shepherd rode the 4-year-old Texas-bred from the Mr Jess Perry mare One Famous Rock Star. Johnny Trotter and Burnett Ranches bred sorrel earner of $40,418.

Eagles Span, Fast Prize Janie, Divas Candy Girl, Watch My Wallet, Ada Lida, Shez Hot Hubba Hubba and Shaky Hero completed the field.