Transplanted Gift Box Delivers in San Antonio
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Gift Box (outside) runs down Battle of Midway to win the San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Maybe he liked the warmer weather, or maybe he liked the track. Whatever the difference, Hronis Racing's Gift Box stepped to the next level in his first start in Southern California Dec. 26 with a victory in the $300,000 San Antonio Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.
Aptly named for a trip to the winner's circle on the day after Christmas, the John Sadler trainee raced for his new connections for the first time and came off the bench to nip Battle of Midway in the final sixteenth of the 1 1/16-mile San Antonio. The 5-year-old son of Twirling Candy last ran March 24 at Aqueduct Racetrack, where he broke a string of four seconds for Will Farish and trainer Chad Brown with an 8 3/4-length romp going a mile in allowance/optional claiming company.
Sadler, who trained Twirling Candy to multiple graded scores, had his eye on Gift Box long before the big gray secured that Aqueduct win.
"He's close to my heart," the trainer said. "He's from the first crop of Twirling Candy, so I've been watching him for a couple of years. ... I was following him before the sale happened. He went back to the farm and the previous owners indicated that they'd like to move him along, so I went back there before the (Keeneland) September Yearling Sale and took a look at him, and liked him.
"He had some interesting races back East, some highly rated allowance races. He was fourth to Arrogate in the Travers (Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, G1), and he was second in another stakes race at Saratoga (the 2016 Curlin Stakes), so there are a lot of nice running lines in there."
Gift Box prepared for his San Antonio run with several sharp workouts, including a Dec. 19 five-furlong bullet drill in 1:00 flat, fastest of 66 at the distance on the day.
"John knew what he had, and he was really happy when he got him," owner Kosta Hronis said. "He's been working well, and he loves it here."
With Battle of Midway sent off as the 3-2 favorite in a nine-horse field, Gift Box was overlooked at odds of 6-1 under jockey Joel Rosario. While Pitino showed the way through opening fractions of :23.28 and :46.72, with Battle of Midway and Dabster in close pursuit, Rosario kept Gift Box in a stalking position in fourth just off the rail.
Gift Box got his cue through three-quarters in 1:11.06, and ranged up to target Battle of Midway and Dabster as Pitino threw in the towel on the inside. Three across the track around the final turn, those rivals duked it out for a few strides, but Gift Box slowly gained the advantage through a 1:37.13 mile while drifting out, and then drifting back in en route to a half-length score. The final time was 1:43.88.
"Coming for the turn, I got where I wanted to be on the outside, and then he just did the job from there," Rosario said.
Battle of Midway held for second, while Dabster was another three-quarters of a length back in third. The order of finish was completed by Beach View, Sonneteer, Air Strike, Yulong Warrior, Tatters to Riches, and Pitino.
Gift Box, bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, Carrie Brogden, and Craig Brogden out of the Unbridled's Song mare Special Me, picked up his first graded score and improved his record to 4-5-2 from 14 starts, with earnings of $524,160. Now the $135,000 purchase from Select Sales' consignment to the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale could be bound for bigger things.
"Hopefully this horse will be in the handicap division this (coming) year, and we're not opposed to going to Dubai with him," Sadler said.
Gift Box's campaign will not include a start in the Jan. 26 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), where Hronis Racing's Accelerate looks to add another feather to his cap after winning the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
"He won't run in the Pegasus," Hronis said. "He'll stay here and run in the Santa Anita stakes races. We'll let Accelerate do his thing at the Pegasus all by himself."