Into the Sunrise shines bright in Dade Park Dash

Photos: Into the Sunrise, with Chris Landeros up, winning the Dade Park Dash. Coady Photography photos

Video: Chris Landeros on Into the Sunrise’s win in Dade Park Dash

M Racing Group’s Into the Sunrise battled favored Field Day into upper stretch before bulling to a 1 3/4-length victory over Unitedandresolute in the inaugural $60,000 Dade Park Dash Overnight Stakes.

Field Day had beaten the Wesley Ward-trained Into the Sunrise in capturing Churchill Downs’ April 24 William Walker. Both horses had run and won since, with Field Day going wire-to-wire in a Churchill Downs open allowance race and Into the Sunrise leading all the way in an entry-level allowance at New York’s Belmont Park.

In this case, the race was to the swift, with Into the Sunrise proving the swiftest.

Field Day, with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, broke in front from the outside post in the field of five 3-year-olds. But Into the Sunrise, with Chris Landeros, cruised alongside from the inside to match strides and stick his head in front before drawing away through the stretch. Unitedandresolute and jockey James Graham passed Field Day late to take second by two lengths, followed by Field Day, Bob’s Edge and Baytown Bear. Flags Up and Pico d’Oro were scratched.

“I knew he was quick,” said Landeros, riding Into the Sunrise for the first time. “At Belmont, he went to the front, broke sharp. I was going to try to mimic that same race. He took me there nicely. Took a little pressure from Field Day, but got a little breather from the three-eighths to the quarter-pole up on the lead — and held off until the end. Wesley did a good job preparing him.

“He can sit, too,” Landeros continued, adding of being inside of Field Day, “But inside post, fast turf course that kind of carries some speed, I wasn’t going to take anything away from him going 5 1/2. You kind of have to get up there and get a position. But he’s all class and did the job for me.”

Into the Sunrise, a gelded son of the Spendthrift Farm super-sire Into Mischief, covered 5 1/2 furlongs over firm turf in 1:03.19 after carving out fractions of 21.55, 45.02, 56.88. He paid $6.60 to win as the third choice.

“I actually rode for Wesley at Delaware (Saturday),” said Landeros, referring to a second-place finish on Like the King in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes. “He just told he liked him, he was classy, have confidence.”

While everyone else was making their Pea Patch debut, Into the Sunrise broke his maiden last year over the Ellis course. He’s now 3-1-0 in eight starts, earning $139,443 with the $36,700 payday. His only poor starts were in his debut on dirt and when he faded badly in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last fall at Keeneland.

Landeros also won the seventh race, a $52,000 allowance event at a mile, on Hozier for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. The son of Pioneerof the Nile was racing eight days after he finished a fading ninth in the 1 1/8-mile Ohio Derby. A Santa Anita maiden winner in February, Hozier finished second in Oaklawn Park’s $1 million, Grade 2 Rebel Stakes earlier this year when trained by Bob Baffert. His Kentucky Derby aspirations faded with a sixth place in the Arkansas Derby.

“He just needed some confidence,” Landeros said. “That’s why he wheeled him back quick. They were looking for a run like today.”