Brooks 'n Down's First Stakes Winner is Garter and Tie
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Leslie Martin
Garter and Tie wins the Affirmed division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Jacks or Better Farm's homebred Garter and Tie did his sire Brooks 'n Down proud Sept. 1 with a victory in the $200,000 Affirmed Stakes division of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series at Gulfstream Park.
The Florida-bred colt is the first black-type winner for the Ocala Stud stallion.
Garter and Tie broke his maiden Saturday while earning stakes credentials in his fourth start. He rated a few lengths off the pace under Emisael Jaramillo along the backstretch as Well Defined showed the way while setting fractions of :23.21 and :46.26, then loomed boldly while sweeping wide into the stretch. Well Defined stayed gamely for second but was unable to hold off the winner, who scored by a half-length.
Garter and Tie ran seven furlongs in 1:23.05.
Trainer Ralph Nicks said the colt will be suited to the 1 1/16-mile distance of the $400,000 In Reality Stakes, the Sept. 29 final leg of the series.
"When I saw him in March, he was my pick," Nicks said. "I told (Jacks or Better owner) Fred (Brei), 'Down the road, this will be the best horse,' and he's starting to come around with the distance.
"He's not a real fast horse, but he's real steady. He's getting a better mind as he matures, and as we go along, he's getting better."
Stakes-placed Brooks 'n Down, a son of Montbrook out of the Gone West mare Precious Feather, retired to stud at Legend Farm in Oklahoma in 2010 and stood there until 2014. He moved to Florida for the 2015 season and stood at Journeyman Stallions before he was sent to Ocala Stud for 2016. This year his fee at Ocala Stud was $2,500.