Longshot Proceed Bee Scores Daylight Victory In Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby

William Stiritz’s Proceed Bee, trained by Scott Becker, took advantage of a projected speed duel and won Saturday’s featured race, the Grade 3 Hawthorne Derby, by a two and a quarter length margin. Content to track the pace early, rider Chris Emigh had his mount in striking position four wide through much of the race. Coming out of the turn, however, Emigh swung Proceed Bee far outside, about seven wide, and this talented 3-year-old rolled by the early pacesetters and was able to hold the other late runners safe.

Chris Emigh, the winning rider of Proceed Bee was winded but elated. “I guess I picked a good day to come back. This horse is talented but sometimes he wants to go and sometimes he doesn’t.  Today he put it all together. Scott Becker and his crew did a great job of getting him ready. I tried to stay on the outside and stay out of trouble. I was glad when I saw the 2 (Romacaca) and the 7 (No Inflation) hook up. That’s what we were hoping would happen. I was hoping I could just sit third or fourth and have enough down the lane so I drifted out a bit, where I figured the track would be more firm. I guess it was. He just kept going.

Jockey Tim Thornton, about his second-place finish aboard Sir Al. “He was in tight on the inside. I tried grinding him out. I thought he handled the surface perfect. No problem over the grass.”

Trainer William Morey added, “We were thrilled how he ran. He ran great.  Hats off to the winner though.  We are sending him to the Oak Tree Derby at Santa Anita on November 7^th (Breeder’s Cup Day)>”

Rosemarie Homeister Jr. the rider of beaten favorite No Inflation, wasn’t happy with their finish but satisfied with the track condition: "It's soft, but it's very safe. Not sure if the horse handled it or not." 
 
Randy Meier, riding with a black eye from a training hours incident, on 3rd place Quite a Handful: "My little horse ran a great race. I probably got caught for second when the two horse (Romacaca) ducked out in front of me. Nothing he could do but she ducked out and I had to check, alter course a little bit. I got beat a nose for second, so I'm sure that didn't help. Soft course, tired, they were fighting, but I don't think you could ask my horse to run any harder than he did. The race went the way we thought it would go, we wanted to be sitting right behind them." 

They covered the mile and an eighth in 1:57.00, on a turf course rated soft, after fractions of :24.48, :48.98, 1:14.87, and 1:42.32.

Proceed Bee returned $25.40, $11.60, and $6.60. Sir Al paid $6.40 and $5.80. Quite a Handful brought $10.60 to show.

Proceed Bee earned $114,000 for the victory, boosting his lifetime earnings to $412,894.