Gormley, a 4 1/4-length debut winner sprinting at Del Mar Sept. 4, was able to avoid a loose horse and secure the early lead in this eventful “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Away fine from the rail, he inherited command when a riderless Secret House (Tiznow) carried out second choice Straight Fire badly into the first turn. He doled out splits of :23.72 and :47.18 while well within himself, but Straight Fire began to inch closer three deep in third and favored GI Del Mar Futurity hero Klimt (Quality Road) wound up from the back around the home bend. Gormley spurted clear from the former into the straight, and drew off to always hold Klimt comfortably at bay.
Saturday, Santa Anita Park
FRONTRUNNER S.-GI, $300,690, SA, 10-1, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.57, ft.
1–#@&GORMLEY, 122, c, 2, by Malibu Moon
1st Dam: Race to Urga (SW, $182,816), by Bernstein
2nd Dam: Miss Mambo, by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Troika, by Strawberry Road (Aus)
($150,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss;
B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs;
J-Victor Espinoza. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$216,000. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. [bullet ad=”paramount-congratulations”][bullet ad=”mckathan-brothers-training-grad”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]
2–Klimt, 122, c, 2, Quality Road–Inventive, by Dixie Union.
'TDN Rising Star' ($140,000 Ylg '15 FTKJUL; $435,000 2yo '16
OBSMAR). O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Thor-Bred Stables, LLC (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.[bullet ad=”bradley-pinhook”][bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”][bullet ad=”thorbred”][bullet ad=”gainesway-consigned-by”]
3–Straight Fire, 122, c, 2, Dominus–Tricky Indy, by A.P. Indy.
'TDN Rising Star' ($250,000 Ylg '15 FTKJUL). O-Jungle Racing
LLC, LNJ Foxwoods, KMN Racing LLC, J. Davenport & A.
Molasky; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-J. Keith Desormeaux.
$36,000.
Margins: 3, 4HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 10.80, 0.30, 3.70.
Also Ran: Midnight Pleasure, Vibe, Plum Dandy, Secret House. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
“I was really surprised,” pilot Victor Espinoza said of making the early lead. “Like anything, you go into it with a plan, but when that gate opens, everything can change. I originally wanted to take back a little bit and let him run in the end, but next thing I know, something happened to [Secret House]. I was on the rail and didn't want to take him back then, so I let him run. This horse can run well wherever he runs. He's a very talented young horse and he's going to improve for the future.”
John Shirreffs, far better known for his exploits with older runners like Hall of Famer Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) than his success with 2-year-olds, added: “You know, it's always a surprise. You train in the morning and you hope they can improve in the afternoon. You don't ever know until the afternoon. After you've won your first race you settle in and you just move on. He's a young horse, he's learning. He needs to focus a little bit and once he gets focused he's got it handled. He looks like a million bucks, he's a beautiful horse and he's doing really well. I like that when he got into that big gear he has, he didn't get too excited for a young horse and today he was all business.”
Secret House appeared to act up in the gate shortly before they sprung the latch, prompting rider Santiago Gonzalez to dismount, only to see the gates open. The longshot was declared a nonstarter.
Pedigree Notes:
Gormley is the first foal out of Race to Urga, who took the 2012 Wait a While S. over the Gulfstream sod for Castleton Lyons and Christophe Clement. His second dam Miss Mambo was third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, while his fourth dam was champion grass mare Estrapade (Vaguely Noble), a half to Horse of the Year Criminal type. Race to Urga has a yearling colt by Smart Strike and a weanling colt by Gio Ponti. She was bred back to Justin Phillip.
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