Phat Man Returns Dividends in Fred W. Hooper
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
Phat Man wins the Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Just over six months after being acquired for $65,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale in Kentucky, Phat Man has his connections playing with house money.
Already a stakes winner in September for them when he took the Good Magic Mile Stakes at Monmouth Park, he won an even richer black-type contest Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park by capturing the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) by a length over Zenden. The graded victory was the first in the gelding's 26-race career, and also the first for his young trainer, Kent Sweezey, who began training in 2017.
Phat Man was the appropriate horse to give Sweezey the memorable victory, as he signed for the purchase as agent at Fasig-Tipton when the horse was sold through the St. George Sales consignment. The gelding then began racing for owners Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing, and Two Rivers Racing Stable.
Irad Ortiz Jr. guided the 6-year-old Munnings gelding through a rallying trip from eighth in the 14-horse field, from more than five lengths off the pace. In light of rapid splits of :22.43, :44.68, and 1:09.47 in the one-mile Hooper, racing from behind was a sound strategy. Still with energy in reserve leaving the turn, he advanced into fifth, and reeled in the tired leaders down the stretch, moving into second with a furlong remaining and surging ahead in the race's final 100 yards.
"The race set up for him," said Ortiz, who was honored with his second straight Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey Jan. 23 at Gulfstream. "We knew there was going to be a strong pace, we wanted him to be forwardly placed, but at the same time relaxed. He was there when I asked him. He ran a good race."
Zenden stuck around after setting the taxing tempo, two lengths in front of Rare Form, who edged Chewing Gum in a photo for the show. Favored Free Enterprise ran ninth.
The winner, previously second to multimillionaire War Story in the Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) Dec. 14 at Gulfstream going 1 1/16 miles, raced a mile on a fast track in 1:35.95, paying $15.40.
"He got tired last time and I wanted to make sure he was fit," Sweezey said. "If he's going to be able to run on this he's got to work for it, so I wanted to make sure I got to the bottom of him."
He banked $84,630 in victory Saturday, pushing his earnings to $161,230 in five races for his current owners. He has won seven races and $461,853 overall, including the 2017 Long Branch Stakes for his prior connections of owner Brad Grady and trainer Joe Sharp.
Bred in Kentucky by Kim and Rodney Nardelli, Phat Man is the second stakes winner for his dam, the Northern Trend mare Nicole's Dream, herself an 11-time stakes winner. Nicole's Dream's other stakes-winning progeny is Estellara (by Henrythenavigator), winner of the Hastings Stakes at Emerald Downs in 2016.