Roadster Rolls to Victory in Return to Racing
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Roadster wins his season debut for trainer Bob Baffert at Santa Anita Park
With the scratch of Dessman, Santa Anita Park's eighth race March 1 looked like a two-horse race on paper between the John Sadler-trained Nolo Contesto and the Bob Baffert-trained Roadster, but in the end it was no contest.
Speedway Stable's Roadster had no trouble in his return to racing when he stretched out to a two-turn mile for the first time in the $57,000 optional-claiming allowance race for 3-year-olds.
Biding his time in second after Diamond Blitz insisted on taking the lead, Roadster easily pulled clear in the stretch under a hand ride by jockey Mike Smith.
Roadster led briefly away from the gate, but soon after it was Diamond Blitz and Nolo Contesto battling on the lead. As Diamond Blitz ran the first quarter in :23.75, Nolo Contesto dropped back to settle in third on the rail and Roadster was held in second. That order remained as a half-mile went in :47.85.
As six furlongs were clocked in 1:13.16, Smith let his horse carry him to the lead, and the pair pulled away easily in the stretch to a 2 1/2-length advantage at the wire, winning in a final time of 1:37.53 on a fast track.
Nolo Contesto fought gamely to outduel third-place finisher Manhattan Up by a half-length for second.
Roadster was a $525,000 purchase by Speedway Stables from the Stone Farm consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The son of Quality Road won a six-furlong maiden special weight easily on debut, taking the July 29 race at Del Mar by 4 1/4 lengths. That start was also the debut for the now grade 1-placed Gunmetal Gray.
In his next start, Roadster placed third in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) behind eventual champion 2-year-old Game Winner. But Smith told TVG's Britney Eurton that Roadster came out of that race with an obvious breathing issue.
"He wasn't breathing right," Smith told Eurton prior to Friday's effort. "I could tell right away. Literally the first few strides into the race, I could tell that he was holding his head different, and after the race I could hear him making some noise. And so he had a minor surgery, and they believe it went really well. He's been training really great in the morning, hasn't been making any noise, so just excited to have him back."
Roadster's successful return could mean a graded stakes in the near future, but Baffert told TVG he will have to evaluate how the horse exited Friday's race before making any decisions.
Bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm, Roadster is out of the Silver Ghost mare Ghost Dancing, who also produced 2017 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Stakes (G1T) winner Ascend.
Video: Race 8 (AOC) at SA on 3/1/19
On the East Coast, Gulfstream Park also featured an optional-claiming allowance race of note in which grade 1-placed Mucho made a successful season debut going six furlongs.
Ridden by Jose Ortiz for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, and favored at odds of 1-2 in a field of five, Mucho ran six furlongs in 1:10.35 over a fast main track in the $51,000 contest for sophomores. It was his first race since finishing second in the Sept. 3 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
The son of Blame was second in his unveiling in June at Belmont Park, then romped by 9 3/4 lengths in an Aug. 4 maiden special weight at Saratoga. He finished second as the favorite, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the seven-furlong Hopeful, his longest race to date.
Mott said Mucho was turned out after developing some stiffness in behind after the Hopeful and has had seven timed works at Payson Park for his return, missing one breeze with a bruised foot.
"I think we need to sit down with the powers that be and just figure out if we want to stretch out next time or what we want to do, distance-wise," Mott said. "I think that's the main thing we've got to talk about. I'm sure we will (stretch him out) at some point, whether it's next time or not. We've got to start somewhere."
A homebred for Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, Mucho is out of the Pulpit mare Extent, who also produced grade 3 winner Size and three other winners from five foals to race.