Fearless Honors Sire With Easy Ghostzapper Score
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
Fearless draws off to an easy win in the Ghostzapper Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Repole Stable's heavily favored Fearless ran a near-perfect race in capturing a graded stakes named after his sire.
The 6-year-old Ghostzapper gelding broke well and stalked early before making his move and pulling away to earn a six-length victory in the $100,000 Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) April 2 at Gulfstream Park.
Ridden by Luis Saez, Fearless had finished second in his previous two starts this season, both at Gulfstream Park—the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) March 5 and the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) Jan. 29. Saturday's victory is the third graded stakes win of his career.
"When he's in good form, he generally puts himself in a good spot," said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. "I thought when he broke well and went to the first turn it looked like (Joel Rosario's) horse (Carlos L. ) was getting a little rank. Luis kind of let him go and Fearless was in a good stalking spot with an honest enough pace up front and we just kind of kept building momentum as he went along."
Good Friends II's 6-year-old chestnut Carlos L. made the lead in the 1 1/8-mile test and set fractions of :24.24 and 4:8.08, with AJ Suited Racing Stable's 4-year-old bay Commandeer right behind and 1-5 favorite Fearless sitting third. Courtlandt Farms' homebred Greatest Honour , who had won three of his previous four Gulfstream starts, broke slowly and was fifth a half-mile into the race.
After Commandeer and Fearless both passed Carlos L., Saez and his gelding moved in front around the far turn. Fearless, hand urged, then widened his lead in the stretch before hitting the wire in 1:50.03.
"He broke pretty well, in a nice spot. He was pretty relaxed," Saez said. "I feel like we were controlling the pace all the way down. When we came to the three-eighths, somebody put the breaks on, but he kicked on again. At the top of the stretch, he was by himself."
Chestnut Hill Stable's 6-year-old chestnut Capocostello , under Irad Ortiz, Jr., rallied four wide at the top of the stretch and overtook Greatest Honour near the wire to finish second. He paid $3.80 and $2.40. Greatest Honour and jockey Jose Ortiz were third and paid $2.20.
Fearless, who was bred in Kentucky by Helen K. Groves, improved to 6-5-1 in 14 starts. Pletcher said the gelding's start was key.
"That was some of the trouble we were having before we gave him a little bit of a break [last summer]," Pletcher said. "We just wanted to give himself way too much to do early on."
Pletcher did not know where Fearless would run next, though added The Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) on May 20 was a possibility.
Trainer Shug McGaughey said he needed time to "figure out" Greatest Honour's next out. The 4-year-old, grade 2-winning Tapit colt had returned from nearly a year layoff to finish sixth in a 1 1/16-mile $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes (G3) March 12 at Tampa Bay Downs.
"He ran fine. He didn't break, kind of got out of position," McGaughey said of Greatest Honour's effort on Saturday. "He's the kind of horse where racing's gonna be his friend. He's not a good work horse. The more he runs, the better he'll get."
Out of the winning, grade 1-placed Street Cry mare And Why Not, Fearless is a half brother to stakes winner Just Whistle . And Why Not has an unraced 2-year-old daughter of Blame named Undoubtedly.