Aztec Sense Vanned Off After Winning Fred Hooper
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Zoe Metz
Aztec Sense claims his ninth consecutive win in the Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park
There was a lot on the line Jan. 26 for Joseph E. Besecker's Aztec Sense as he entered the gate for the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
His connections had three goals for his first start of 2019: Add to his impressive eight-race win streak, take home his first graded stakes win, and bring home the 1,000th win for trainer Jorge Navarro—and the 6-year-old Street Sense gelding delivered.
But the sweetness of the victory was soon mired with concern, as Aztec Sense was pulled up in the backstretch, unsaddled, and vanned off.
"He took a bad step," said Navarro, who said the on-site vet told him there was a problem with Aztec Sense's left front ankle. "My vets are waiting for him. Oh my God, what a racehorse—the heart he has.
"(The milestone) came at a bad time," Navarro continued. "The horses always come first. This diminishes the win."
With jockey Emisael Jaramillo in the irons, Aztec Sense shook the reins at the start but held to eke out a slim head lead in the chute. He was edged back to third as the field reached the half-mile mark in :45.10, when Conquest Big E took command for precious seconds before fading quickly under pressure.
Still running in close contention, Aztec Sense lengthened his stride and forged forward from his spot on the rail, overtaking Conquest Big E. Finally edging away at the quarter pole, Aztec Sense widened his margin to 1 1/2 lengths as Fellowship moved up on the outside to issue a late challenge.
Angled out in the final furlong, Aztec Sense dug in and hit the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front. He completed the mile dirt test on a sloppy (sealed) track in a final time of 1:36.22.
Breaking Lucky finished second, a neck ahead of Fellowship in third. Unbridled Juan, Storm Advisory, Conquest Big E, Copper Town, and Mo Dont No completed the order of finish.
Bred in Kentucky by Chuck Fipke out of the A.P. Indy mare Aztec Pearl, Aztec Sense improved his record to 13-5-1 from 37 starts, with earnings of $637,017. He was claimed by Navarro for $12,500 on Aug. 7, 2017, at Parx Racing.
A native of Panama City, Panama, Navarro came to the U.S. in 1988 and began working as a groom and a hotwalker at Detroit Race Course before relocating to South Florida. He was an assistant to his father, trainer Julian Canet, as well as trainers Sam David Jr. and Gamaliel Vazquez, then broke young horses in Ocala, Fla., for three years, taking out his trainer's license in 2007.
He has trained three grade 1 winners—Sharp Azteca , Private Zone, and El Deal. He also won graded stakes with Catalina Red, Delta Bluesman, War Story, and X Y Jet. In 2016, Navarro broke a 41-year-old Monmouth Park record by winning 59 races. He broke the mark in 2017 with 65 victories and set a new standard again with 85 wins in 2018.