Weston First Winner For Spendthrift's Hit It a Bomb

Chris Drakos and Ryan Hanson's Weston became the first winner for Spendthrift Farm's Hit It a Bomb  June 21 when he turned in a decisive 1 1/4-length victory in a $51,500 maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park. 

Trained by Hanson and ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Weston broke slowly in the field of eight juveniles. He quickly made up ground by cutting between horses before being angled to the inside and was in front by a half-length as the quarter mile went in :22.49. 

Exiting the turn, Weston continued to inch away from the pack and extended his lead to three lengths at the top of the stretch. Van Dyke urged the gelding forward in the stretch as a fast-moving Ambivalent drove home to challenge late.

Although Ambivalent managed to chip away a chuck of his leading margin, Weston held on gamely to cross the wire clear. The final time for the 4 1/2-furlong dirt sprint was :52.27 on a fast track. 

Weston was bred in Kentucky by EVADI Farm Team out of the multiple stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Elke. The gelding was purchased by Drakos for $7,000 from the consignment of Dromoland Farm to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. 

Hit It a Bomb, a son of War Front  out of group 3 winner Liscanna, was a homebred raced by Evelyn Stockwell and trained by Aidan O'Brien. Undefeated in three starts at 2, he won the Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F. Star Appeal Stakes before taking the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). He is a full brother to Brave Anna, the winner of the Connolly's Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket and the Albany Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot. 

Hit It a Bomb was retired with a 3-0-2 record in seven starts and earned $626,476. He joined the Spendthrift Farm roster in 2017 and stood for a fee of $5,000 for the 2020 breeding season.