Jeff Fa Fa Hopes to Spread His Winning to the U.S.

Jeff Fa Fa  will head south from Canada and put his four-race win streak on the line in the Bold Ruler Stakes (G3) Oct. 27 at Belmont at the Big A. The 4-year-old gelded son of Competitive Edge   will make his first start in the United States after 13 in Canada. The Alberta-bred has had a strong 2023, going 5-2-0 from seven starts. 

His last time out, in the Red Diamond Express Handicap at Century Downs Sept. 16, Jeff Fa Fa set the track record for 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.26. After that start, owner/breeder Pierre Esquirol transferred the chestnut from trainer Wendy Anderson to Rob Atras.

"Pierre called me up out of the blue to see if I'd take this horse and give it a shot. Why not?" Atras said. "He's won four in a row and broke the track record last out at Century. If he's not this level, we can find a different spot for him, but Pierre wanted to give him a shot at the top level in New York."

Now he looks to go six furlongs in a field of nine with the toughest competition he's faced to date. Among that field is Durante , who had his own four-race win streak snapped Oct. 14 over the same distance and course as the Bold Ruler. The Distorted Humor  gelding has finished in the top two in five of his seven starts this year (4-1-0).

Another who recently fell short in a Belmont at the Big A race is High Oak . The Bill Mott trainee finished fifth in the Vosburgh Stakes (G2). Prior to that, the Gormley   colt was third in the Forego Stakes (G1).