Cezanne ends layoff with solid Kona Gold win

ARCADIA, Calif. - Cezanne, bought for $3.65 million as a 2-year-old, is starting to perform to his high-profile expectations.

On Sunday at Santa Anita, Cezanne won his 2021 debut in the Grade 3 Kona Gold Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs, benefiting from a torrid speed duel. The $98,000 Kona Gold Stakes was Cezanne’s first stakes win.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, his fourth winner of the day, Cezanne ($5.80) rallied on the rail entering the stretch and drew away to win by 9 3/4 lengths. A colt by Curlin, Cezanne was timed in 1:14.71, the fastest clocking at the distance since Dr. Dorr won an allowance race on a wet-fast track in 1:14.10 in March 2018. Cezanne earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 106

Cezanne was third in a field of four for the first half-mile, racing as many as six lengths behind Brickyard Ride, the 3-5 favorite who set rapid fractions of 21.18 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 43.60 for a half-mile.

:: Enhance your handicapping with DRF’s Santa Anita Clocker Report

Prat kept Cezanne on the inside through the final three furlongs.

“It was nice for me,” Prat aid. “I could sit and make one run. It was a dream trip.”

Brickyard Ride, the winner of two stakes earlier this year, held second, finishing 1 1/4 lengths in front of 20-1 Fight On. Ax Man, who was second early, faded to finish fourth.

Cezanne had not raced since a fourth-place finish in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar last August, his only loss in four starts. Cezanne won a maiden special weight race at 6 1/2 furlongs in his debut last June and an allowance race at a mile at Los Alamitos last July.

Owned by the Coolmore syndicate and St. Elias Stable, Cezanne is trained by Bob Baffert.

“They’ve always been high on him,” Prat said.

Prat swept the two stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday and has won 16 stakes at the meeting, which began on Dec. 26. Through Sunday, Prat had 89 winners, well clear of second-place Juan Hernandez with 51 wins.