Sahara Sky came from off the pace to win the $150,000 Palos Verdes Stakes by one length on Saturday at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Joe Talamo, Sahara Sky ran six furlongs in 1 minute, 7.73 second and returned $45.20 for a $2 win bet.
''He ran unbelievable,'' Talamo said. ''That was actually the closest he's ever run. I thought he was going to be 10 lengths further back than he was. He broke sharply, he put me right there and I still had a lot of horse when I called on him.''
Trained and co-owned by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Sahara Sky had been idle since June 22. He hadn't won since May 19, 2012, at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Private Zone was second, and Justin Phillip was another half-length back in third.
The victory, worth $90,000, increased Sahara Sky's career earnings to $236,680, with five wins in 13 starts.
In the $75,000 Megahertz Stakes for older fillies and mares, 7-year-old A Jealous Woman held on to win by a neck over Byrony under Brice Blanc.
She ran one mile on the turf in 1:33.09 and returned $6.60 as the lone California-bred in the seven-horse field.
The 9-5 favorite, In the Stars, was third.
The victory, worth $60,600, increased A Jealous Woman's career earnings to $443,856, with eight wins in 19 starts.
