Houston, Texas (February 5,2005) - It was a good night for trainer John Locke as his runners ran first and second in tonight's feature at Sam Houston Race Park, the $40,000 Jersey Village Stakes. Twilight Vision, a 5-year-old son of Twilight Agenda, was sent to the lead by rider Adrian Ramos and was never challenged. He completed the first quarter in 25.88; the half-mile in 52.61 and held off his fast-closing entrymate, Oncearoundtwice, at the wire. The final time of the mile-and-one-sixteenth contest over the Connally Turf Course was 1:49.17. Both Twilight Vision and Oncearoundtwice are owned by Evelyn Bean of Arlington, Texas.

"Twilight Vision is usually pretty consistent," commented Locke. "He's been running against some tough company. I told Adrian to go to the lead and just slow it down and he kind of had it all his way. No one went up and blew hot air on him, so it worked out pretty good."

Kevin Cogburn rode Oncearoundtwice to his second-place finish in the ten-horse field.

"He made a strong move coming out of the turn and if I hadn't had to veer out from behind that horse (winner) I might have caught him," said Cogburn. "The course was a little chopped up and it was giving way with him some. He had to work a harder for the ground he gained."

Rider Terry Stanton rode the post time favorite Goosey Moose to a third place finish for trainer Danny Pish.

"Three weeks in a row," lamented Stanton, who has not won a race since January 22. "Next week, there's got to be a change, a win. This grass course is so cut up and wet right now. He handled it as far as handling it. But when you usually call on him, he usually just explodes. And when I called on him today, like Joseph (Danny Pish's assistant) - he looked and he could see me riding, but he wasn't going anywhere. The fractions were slow and they wanted me to kind of just sit on him and get him to relax. But it's just some bad luck. I don't think we got outrun, we just got beat tonight. And I think you'll see a return on him on the grass."

Twilight Vision paid $11.20 for the win. The 1-9 exacta returned $33.60 and the 1-9-3 trifecta with Flo's Gold, paid $277.60. Defending champion, Desert Darby was fourth followed by Kid Halo, Dash'n Krugerand, Shakethemhatsoff, Late Expectations and Rare Cure.

It was a nice turn of events for Locke who saddled Dwight Polite in last weekend's feature, the $40,000 Bucharest Stakes. He ran second and Locke commented that after 19 seconds, it "sure would be nice to win a race."

He got another second tonight, but Twilight Vision gave him his first stakes win of the 2004/2005 Thoroughbred Meeting.

Press All Best No Longer a Maiden

Press All Bets, a 5-year-old Texas-bred gelding, got his first win in tonight's first race at Sam Houston Race Park. He was making his 47th start of his career this evening for owner/trainer Dimitrios Monahas and his 18th start at Sam Houston.

Rider Anthony Cruz was aboard and made the difference, guiding him from gate-to-wire in the mile and seventy yard claiming race.

"The trainer told me to go to the lead," said Cruz. "He made the lead nice and easy and when I turned for home, he was still running strong."

Cruz, 27, grew up in Puerto Rico and rode successfully in his native country before coming to the United States.
"I won a lot of races in Puerto Rico," Cruz said. "It's been tough for me here because no one knows me, but I will keep trying."

Trainers might take notice of Anthony Cruz after seeing his winning touch aboard Press All Bets.