Trophy Chaser Edges King for a Day in Challenger
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Photo: SV Photography
Trophy Chaser (outside) bests King for a Day in the Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
JCA Racing Stable's Trophy Chaser broke through in stakes company March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs and ran down favored King for a Day to win the $100,000 Challenger Stakes (G3). It was also a breakthrough for trainer Juan Carlos Avila, who earned his first stateside graded stakes.
Trophy Chaser's victory followed a 4-year-old debut Feb. 2 at Gulfstream Park, where he was an 8 1/4-length winner of a 1 1/8-mile allowance optional claiming race. Paco Lopez was aboard for both races.
"This is the fifth time he's traveled away from South Florida, and I told the owner, 'We didn't come here to travel. We're going to win,'" Avila said through an interpreter. "It was a good trip. We were trying to run behind the speed, and when our horse was going to pass, (Lopez) said he tried to stop, and we're going to manage that with blinkers. It's a great thrill. I've won 12 graded stakes in Venezuela, but this is my first in the United States. We're hoping he comes out good out of the race, and we're going to look for better races."
Trophy Chaser was sent around two turns again Saturday, this time going 1 1/16 miles. The Twirling Candy colt settled in third, 1 1/2 lengths off the pace of Admiralty Pier, who ran an opening half-mile in :48.65. King for a Day, the even-money favorite in the field of eight, stalked in second and took over on the turn for home, running six furlongs in 1:12.50.
King for a Day opened on the field, but Trophy Chaser swung three wide and began to catch up with the leader. The two battled it out to the wire as the rest of the field faded out of sight, but Trophy Chaser got the better of his rival by a neck.
The final time was 1:42.28 on a fast track. The winner paid $6.80 as the second choice.
"He's a very nice horse. I talk to Avila all the time and ask him, 'Put me on that horse, please,' and finally he did the last time," Lopez said. "Today he ran very good, and at the eighth-mile pole I didn't need to hit him because he was trying very hard. He had to be tough to beat (King for a Day)."
King for a Day, a two-time stakes winner last season and the only horse to ever beat multiple grade 1 winner Maximum Security across the finish line, finished second by 11 lengths. It was his first start since a fifth in the TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) in July. Prompt and Big Dollar Bill rallied for the third- and fourth-place spots, respectively.
Trophy Chaser, who has a 4-3-1 record from 11 starts and $243,350 in earnings, is out of the Successful Appeal mare European Union. He was bred in Kentucky by Overbrook Farm and Kildare Stud. The dark bay was sent through the auction ring three times, with JCA purchasing him for $42,000 from the de Meric Sales consignment to the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.