D' Funnybone cruises to Swale victory

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - D' Funnybone confirmed his status as the best 3-year-old sprinter in the country with a relatively easy 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday's at Gulfstream Park.

While D' Funnybone added the Swale to a resume that includes three other Grade 2 sprint stakes victories, his owner, Paul Pompa Jr., said there are no plans to point the colt to the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles.

"My main goal is to make him a stallion," Pompa said. "We do have the Preakness in our sights, but we don't want to ask him to do something he might not be capable of doing. We're not going to the Derby."

Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said he is fine with whatever Pompa wants to do.

"Right now, Pompa wants to keep him sprinting, that's fine with me and I'm sure that's fine with Funnybone," Dutrow said.

D' Funnybone had employed a stalking style to record his previous victories. But Saturday, he broke so sharply that jockey Edgar Prado didn't want to fight him and let the horse go to the lead. He was soon joined by Hear Ye Hear Ye, Silver Craft, and Privilaged and the foursome scrimmaged through an opening quarter in 22.24 seconds.

"He outbroke everybody," Prado said. "I took a light hold and everybody came next to me. Instead of keep fighting him, he relaxed when I let him do his own thing. I think he's better that way instead of fighting him because he does have so much speed and I wanted to use it to our advantage."

Entering the far turn, D' Funnybone edged away from the other three speed horses but had to run a half-mile in 44.50 to do it. But he was still going easy and opened up a 2 1/2-length lead through six furlongs in 1:08.95 and was basically hand-ridden to the wire while Ibboyee cut into the margin to make it look close at the finish.

D' Funnybone, who wore front bandages for the first time, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.98 and returned $3.

Ibboyee finished second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Privilaged, who was followed in the order of finish by Hear Ye Hear Ye, Dixie Band, Fearless Cowboy, City Trooper, Gary D, and Silver Craft.

"He broke good like he always does, put himself in a position to win, and he kept his position," Dutrow said. "He did everything that we wanted to see."

Appleton: Society's Chairman thrills Attfield

Society's Chairman chased fellow Canadian Rahy's Attorney to no avail on several occasions over their home course at Woodbine last season. But the tide finally turned in his favor Saturday at Gulfstream Park when Society's Chairman got up in the final stride to hang a nose decision on Rahy's Attorney in the .

Society's Chairman, who finished behind Rahy's Attorney three times in as many meetings in 2009, lagged well off a relatively slow pace set by Storm Play and pressed by Rahy's Attorney. Society's Chairman, still last leaving the quarter pole, swung six wide while commencing his rally into the stretch, then finished full of run to nail Rahy's Attorney on the wire. The latter forged to a short advantage at midstretch, held tenaciously but could not last.

Society's Chairman, a 7-year-old son of Not Impossible, is trained by Roger Attfield for owner Charles Fipke. He was ridden to victory by Jose Lezcano and paid $14.20. Final time was 1:27.29 seconds for 7 1/2 furlongs over a firm course.

"That was a thrilling race," said Attfield who watched the Grade 3 Appleton from Payson Park. "Both are hard-knocking horses. Rahy's Attorney's is trained by my best friend and it was kind of exciting to finally beat him."

Rahy's Attorney is trained by Ian Black.

"He'd been training very well into the race but suffered a little abscess in his foot two and a half weeks ago which forced me to miss a little time," said Attfield. "He has a good quarter-mile kick and those shorter stretches like the one at Gulfstream really suit him better than the big stretch at Woodbine."

Attfield said Society's Chairman could make his next start in the Grade 1 Maker's Mile at Keeneland.

- additional reporting by Mike Welsch