Another Mystery, Fantasioso Dead Heat in Connally Turf
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Photo: Coady Photography
Another Mystery (outside) and Fantasioso (center) dead heat a head in front of Strong Tide in the John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park
It was an exciting finish to a wide-open rendition of the Jan. 30 $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3T) as two hard-knocking veterans hit the wire together. After a nearly five-minute deliberation following the finish of the Connally, the Sam Houston Race Park stewards ruled that 6-year-old Another Mystery and 7-year-old Fantasioso were simply inseparable at the wire. Dead heat.
A full field of 12 lined up for the three-turn turf test at Sam Houston, with Ajourneytofreedom , one of three contenders for trainer Mike Maker, going off as the slight favorite. As the gates opened, both Bloom Racing Stable and trainer Ignacio Correas' Fantasioso and Team Block's Another Mystery settled well off the pace in eighth, and 10th respectively behind early splits of :24.30 and :50.54. As the pacesetters crawled through six furlongs in 1:15.48 and a mile in 1:41.18, Fantasioso, under jockey James Graham, began his assault on the leaders at the top of the stretch, with Another Mystery beginning to kick into high gear under Jareth Loveberry with a five-wide bid around the turn. Down the lane Fantasioso battled nose to nose with Strong Tide , finally putting that rival away late until Another Mystery, rallying furiously down the center of the track, caught that rival as they hit the line together.
"They went slow up front of us, which didn't help our cause but (Fantasioso) finished off the right way," said Graham after the race. "He felt that other horse coming and they dived at the wire together so can't be upset about it."
Another Mystery ($23.60) and Fantasioso ($10.80) ran the 1 1/2 miles on a firm turf course in 2:31.28.
"He was really grabbing the bit at the five-sixteenths pole and I knew we would have a good run turning for home," said Loveberry of Another Mystery. "I knew he had his head down at the right time I just didn't know if we had quite got (Fantasioso) or not but we did."
"As my dad would say, (Another Mystery) has been crying for three turns and we just needed the set-up to come into it," said trainer Chris Block. "He was training great coming into this thing and I was confident he would run well."
Strong Tide was a head back in third while Ajourneytofreedom performed the best of the Maker trio, checking in sixth.
Fantasioso, bred in Argentina by Luther Eduardo Carlos, earned his first U.S. stakes victory in the Connally. A multiple graded stakes winner and grade-1 placed in his native country, he was sent to Correas' barn at Keeneland last year as a 6-year-old. He is by Strategic Prince and out of the winning Lucky Roberto mare Soy Maja.
Another Mystery is a Team Block Illinois-homebred son of Temple City out of the tough racemare Ioya Two (Lord At War), a graded stakes winner who was also campaigned by Team Block. The dam of nine winners from 10 foals to race, Ioya Two is now the dam of three graded stakes winners with Another Mystery's Connally score along with Ioya Bigtime (Dynaformer) and Amazing Results (Grand Slam).
Video: John B. Connally Turf Cup S. (G3T)
Red Run Prevails in Texas Turf Mile
The 2021 leading first-crop sire Gun Runner has rewritten the history books with his cardinal flight of runners, eclipsing Uncle Mo 's first-crop progeny earnings record set in 2015. The sire of six stakes winners on the dirt, the brilliant stallion now boasts a stakes winner on the turf after Red Run 's late-rallying score in the $200,000 Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes.
Red Run gets up to win the Texas Turf Mile Stakes
Red Run was actually his sire's first ever winner when he landed his debut last May as a 2-year-old at Churchill Downs. After three failed stakes attempts on both dirt and turf, the Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred finished a solid second after hopping at the start in a Nov. 27 allowance optional claimer going two turns on the dirt at Churchill.
Sent away at 5-1 in the field of 10 Sunday, Red Run raced near the back of the pack early under jockey Joel Rosario while favored Stolen Base trailed the field. After a first quarter in a spirited :22.99 set by Chanceux , Red Run steadily improved his position down the backstretch and launched a strong five-wide bid turning for home, Stolen Base hot on his heels. The Steve Asmussen trainee was closing faster than the favorite, however, and collared a game Bloodline strides before the wire.
Red Run ($12.80) prevailed by a half-length over Bloodline, who was 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Stolen Base. He raced the one mile on a firm turf course in 1:37.75.
"Bob Bork opened Sam Houston, the first pari-mutuel racetrack in Texas, and we started running here regularly 20 something years ago," said Asmussen. "(Bork) was very instrumental in getting it up and going. Sam Houston has always been so good to us and it's very special to win this race.
"(Red Run) was Gun Runner's first winner. We kind of got in a hurry with him (as a 2-year-old). He's a nice colt with beautiful action. I think he's just developing the right way and he has a very good future."
Red Run is the first foal out of the Tapit mare Red House, herself a full sister to champion 3-year-old filly and Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) heroine Untapable and a half sister to grade 1 winner Paddy O'Prado . Red House has an unnamed juvenile full brother to Red Run.