Gouverneur Morris Sails in Tampa Bay Allowance

It may have been a $27,500 allowance optional claiming race on a Friday afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs, but the education that 3-year-old Gouverneur Morris earned was much more valuable. Rated No. 5 on Steve Haskin's Derby Dozen, Gouverneur Morris rallied late to win the one-mile, 40-yard race by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:38.88, finishing just .02 of a second off the track record.

The Feb. 14 race, which only drew five, had an interesting beginning. Gouverneur Morris, with John Velazquez aboard, bobbled a bit at the break, but the horse to his outside, the Todd Pletcher-trained Dudley Square, stumbled, unseating rider Daniel Centeno.

Town and Country Racing's Sounion broke on top from the rail, but it was the Mark Casse-trained Untitled who grabbed the early advantage as the field made its way to the first bend. The opening quarter-mile went in :23.40 and the half-mile went in :47.50 as Untitled opened up on Sounion, with Gouverneur Morris close up in third while being kept well off the rail by his Hall of Fame rider.

After six furlongs in 1:11.33, Untitled was still strong on the lead, but Gouverneur Morris was cutting into his advantage. He was able to get the lead early in the stretch and edged clear late. The mile went in 1:36.69. Untitled finished second. It was 3 3/4 lengths back to third-place Letmeno, who edged Sounion by a nose.

"This is a funny horse," said Barry Irwin, whose Team Valor International owns Gouverneur Morris along with WinStar Farm. "When he works, about halfway down the stretch you can see he loses focus, then he takes off again. In this race, you could see that when he put (Untitled) away, he put his ears straight up. When he was coming back afterward, when another horse passed him, he took it up again.

"But this is exactly what we wanted to see. He really improved in his last three works, and we hope this race really moves him forward."

Gouverneur Morris made an impression early, breaking his maiden by nine lengths in his debut at Saratoga Race Course in a 5 1/2-furlong race . His only other start came in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, where he closed from sixth to finish second behind Maxfield.

The gray colt was bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, Carrie Brogden, Craig Brogden, and James Miller. By Constitution , Gouverneur Morris is out of Addison Run, by Unbridled's Song.

Team Valor International paid $600,000 for him last year at The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's 2-year-olds in training sale, from Eddie Woods, agent. Gouverneur Morris was a $200,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase by Phoenix Thoroughbreds.

It's unclear where the colt will start next, but it will be a race that includes points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Irwin said, "Off the top of my head, I'd say the (March 28) Florida Derby (G1)."

In Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager that closed Sunday, Gouverneur Morris was 32-1.