BloodHorse
By: Corrie McCroskey & Joe Perez
Date: 5/30/2023
Dixiana Farms' homebred Hayes Strike went five wide in the stretch and rallied to edge Harlocap by a nose in the $300,000 Texas Derby.
Trailing by as many as 7 1/4 lengths, Hayes Strike, with Torres in the irons, closed the gap to three as they hit the stretch. The Kenny McPeek-trained son of Connect crossed the wire with 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.32.
"I saw he broke slow and I just gave him some time and stayed after him," Torres said. "When I asked, he exploded for me."
