ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2014)–Second choice Power Foot hugged the rail and ran by 3-5 favorite Monastic inside the sixteenth pole to win Thursday’s $60,000 Neptune Purse allowance under Edwin Maldonado, winning by 1 ¾ lengths while covering 1 ¼ miles on turf in 1:59.56.

Monastic, with Gary Stevens up, led throughout through fractions of 23.78, 47.59, and 1:35.11, and appeared full of run turning for home, but long-fused Power Foot, trained by Richard Mandella, unleashed an impressive turn of foot in the run for home and proved best.

“I’ve been waiting a while to run him a mile and a quarter and this race finally came up,” said Mandella. “I think he likes it inside. We’ll probably point for the San Marcos (Grade II, 1 ¼ miles turf, Feb. 8) in about three weeks with him.”

Off at 5-2, 5-year-old Power Foot paid $7.20, $3.00 and $2.20.

Owned by Stepaside Farms LLC, Power Foot picked up $36,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $156,214. He notched his third win from 14 career starts.

“I was on a big horse,” said Maldonado, who announced this morning that he had hired veteran agent Jim Pegram. “I had enough room (at the rail) but I waited for the hole to get a bit wider to go through. I’m glad everything worked out well today.”

Monastic, a 5-year-old gelding by Rock Hard Ten who is trained by Tom Proctor and was ridden by Gary Stevens, made an easy lead in the short run down the hillside, but got pressure into the Club House turn and again leaving the three-eights pole from longshot Empty Headed.

Monastic finished 1 ½ lengths in front of Imperative and paid $2.20 and $2.10.

Imperative, off at 8-1 and ridden by Joe Talamo, matched strides with the winner down the backside but lacked the necessary rally. He finished a neck in front of Empty Headed and paid $2.20 to show.

Santa Anita will offer an eight-race program on Friday, with first post time at 1 p.m. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.