(Grand Prairie, Texas - Monday, May 28, 2012) - Windy Hill Farms' Nates Mineshaft, a five-year-old ridgeling trained by Austin Smith and ridden by Jesse Campbell, went straight to the lead never looking back to win the 16th running of the Grade III, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap for three-year-olds and upward over a fast main track at Lone Star Park on Monday.

Before today, Nates Mineshaft had won all but one of his races this year. The loss was from his last out in the Grade II Alysheba earlier this month at Churchill Downs, when he tried a different running style.

"The horse just keeps getting better," said Austin Smith "that was just a trainer error last time. I just looked at the form too much and took him out of his game."

All of his wins have come in the form of front running speed. Returning to that form today was all he needed to get back in the winners circle again. Going straight to an easy lead, he responded well when asked at the top of the stretch. Drawing off after being shown the whip, he proved much the best while coasting in the final sixteenth crossing the finish line 7 ¼ lengths in front of Get in Da House. Fractions were 25.11, 49.20 and 1:11.97.

"He's gotten to be a very, very confident and very kind horse," said rider Jesse Campbell. "I think the job that Austin has done to keep this horse in such sharp form for as long has he’s been, you know, really says something about what this barn is doing for this animal. Very impressive."

The $174,000 winners share of the purse boosted Nates Mineshaft's lifetime earnings to over half a million dollars from seven wins in 15 career starts.

Nates Mineshaft paid $5.40, $3.80 and $3.00, runner-up Get in Da House returned $7.60 and $4.40, and Night Pretty paid $6.00 to show. Marilyn's Guy, Golden Yank, Apart, Fog Alert and Imco Spirit completed the order of finish.