Poplar Creek's Vertiformer Gets First Winner
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Photo: Conrad Photo
Verissimo breaks his maiden at Mahoning Valley Race Course to become the first winner for Vertiformer
Poplar Creek Horse Center's freshman sire Vertiformer had his first winner Nov. 5 when his gelded son Verissimo found the winner's circle at Mahoning Valley Race Course in his third start.
A homebred for Richard Spicer and William Spitler, Verissimo is out of the winning Spunky Rascal mare Blue as the Nile, who was also bred and raced by Spicer and Spitler. The mare has produced four winners from as many to race.
The gelding finished second—a length behind the winner—in his first start Sept. 18 at Thistledown but was 6 1/2 lengths ahead of the rest of the field. Trainer Jeff Radosevich tried stakes company in his next start, but a rough and wide trip left Verissimo unplaced. At Mahoning Valley, he again had to overcome a wide trip and, despite some drifting in deep stretch, won by three-quarters of a length.
Vertiformer is a stakes-winning son of Dynaformer. The Joseph Allen homebred was a black-type winner in France and placed in three U.S. graded stakes in 2012 and 2014. He retired with $217,580 in earnings.
The stallion is out of the winning Rahy mare Tempo West, the dam of dual group 1 winner and top-10 second-crop sire Declaration of War and grade 1-placed, grade 3 winner War Correspondent .
Vertiformer stands at Poplar Creek, near Bethel, Ohio, as property of Calumet Farm. His fee this year was $2,000.