Farhaan Makes the Grade in Thunder Road

In his second start for trainer Phil D'Amato, Matthew Schera's Farhaan took an impressive step forward April 29 to win his first graded stakes in the $100,000 Thunder Road (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.

Schera shipped the 8-year-old son of Jazil west after a $40,000 claim at Saratoga Race Course in August and a trio of graded stakes starts on the East Coast with trainer Carlos Martin. In his Southern California debut March 9 at Santa Anita, Farhaan finished second to grade 2 winner Prospect Park in an optional-claiming allowance off a more than four-month layoff.

But in the mile turf race Saturday, jockey Tyler Baze began Farhaan's move between horses in the final turn with a tap on the shoulder, closed four wide in the stretch, and wore down Perfectly Majestic late to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:33.18 at odds of 8-1.

"The first time I rode him, I got boxed in behind Prospect Park," Baze said. "I had all the confidence in the world today. I worked him coming into this race and I thought he'd run big. I'm hoping he can build on this."

Farhaan raced in last early, travelled three wide in the first turn and improved to sixth in the backstretch, as Sawyer's Hill set fractions of :23.23, :46.61, and 1:09.98 through six furlongs.

"I really didn't expect to be that far off the pace," D'Amato said. "But he kinda broke flat footed and it worked to his advantage. Bolo (third, heavily favored at 6-5) moved to attack Sawyer's Hill at the half-mile pole and it worked out for us. He came home in racehorse time."

Bolo, a two-time grade 2 winner on the Santa Anita grass, held a half-length lead with a furlong to run, but could not hold off Perfectly Majestic and Farhaan. Fabozzi came in fourth, followed by Twentytwentyvision, Sawyer's Hill, and Mithqaal, to complete the order of finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Shadwell Farm, out of the Danzig mare Alshadiyah, Farhaan now has a 9-3-3 record from 31 starts and $482,929 in earnings.