Dom the Bomb aces distance test in Illinois Futurity
Dom the Bomb is a fast horse with a speed-oriented pedigree. He led and won his career debut at 5 1/2 furlongs, led and finished third in a Keeneland sprint allowance race, and then pressed the pace and romped in the Sun Power, an Illinois-bred sprint stakes last month at Hawthorne.
But Dom the Bomb has quality and intelligence mixed with that speed. Making his two-turn debut Saturday, he rated kindly just off a slow pace, took over at the top of the homestretch, and went on to a 5 1/2-length victory in the $81,150 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity at Hawthorne.
Giantstepsbdancing finished a distant second, a neck in front of Market Rad. Dom the Bomb ($3.40) ran 1 1/16 miles on a slow-playing track in 1:47.32, nearly three seconds faster than the winning time earlier on the card in the Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante for Illinois-bred 2-year-old fillies.
Trained by Larry Rivelli and ridden by Tim Thornton, Dom the Bomb, with all his early pace, figured to break for the lead from a wide draw Saturday, but instead, Thornton eased him quietly toward the front and settled in second as Giantstepsbancing set splits of 25.14 seconds, 49.75, and 1:15.29.
Dom the Bomb never seemed to grow impatient, rating at a leisurely tempo, but he was all there when Thornton called on him for run, powering to the lead and finishing well clear in a performance that was impressive for the class level.
Dom the Bomb, by Bring the Heat and the mare Richiesgirlgotgame, was bred by Rivelli and Richard Ravin and is owned by Ravin and V-Leaf Stables. Rivelli and Ravin co-owned and Rivelli trained the 2013 Edgar winner, Rambling Richie.
Tizgorgeious takes Whitworth
Going two turns on dirt for the first time, Tizgorgeous slogged out a half-length win over Razamajazil in the $68,225 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante earlier on the Hawthorne card.
Trained by Richie Scherer and ridden by Julio Felix, Tizgorgeous stalked a moderate pace, took over in midstretch, and held clear the resurgent pacesetter Razamajazil to win for the second time in seven starts. She was timed in 1:50.05 for 1 1/16 miles and paid $5.60 to win. Rock My Dreams finished a distant third.
Tizgorgeous, a daughter of Tizdejavu, is owned by Michael Schroeck.