Farhaan pulls 8-1 upset in Thunder Road Stakes
ARCADIA, Calif. - The former Saratoga claimer Farhaan is a graded stakes winner in California.
Saturday at Santa Anita, Farhaan won the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf in an 8-1 upset. Ridden by Tyler Baze, his third win of the day, Farhaan closed from sixth to take the lead in the last sixteenth and win by three-quarters of a length over a game Perfectly Majestic.
Bolo, the 6-5 favorite, finished a quiet third in the $100,690 race. Bolo led with a furlong remaining, but could not sustain the effort and was beaten two lengths.
Fabozzi was fourth, followed by Twentytwentyvision, Sawyer’s Hill, and Mithqaal.
Farhaan ($18.80) was timed in 1:33.18. Last after the opening quarter-mile, Farhaan was sixth midway through the race, about 4 1/2 lengths behind pacesetter Sawyer’s Hill, who set a half-mile fraction of 46.61 seconds.
Through a wide rally in early stretch, Farhaan trailed by more than two lengths with a furlong remaining and closed well to reach the front.
“I had all the confidence in this horse,” Baze said. “I thought we’d be closer to the front.”
Trained by Phil D’Amato for Matthew Schera, Farhaan was claimed for $40,000 at Saratoga last summer. An 8-year-old, Farhaan was unsuccessful in three graded stakes in New York and Maryland last fall before joining D’Amato’s stable.
Farhaan was second to Prospect Park in an optional claimer at 1 1/8 miles on turf on March 9 in his California debut.
“First time, I got boxed in behind a good horse in Prospect Park,” Baze said.
By Jazil, Farhaan has won 9 of 31 starts and $482,929. The Thunder Road was Farhaan’s first win in a graded stakes and the fourth of his career. He won the Lord of the Night Stakes at Aqueduct in 2013 and two stakes in 2014 – the Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct and the Alydar Stakes at Saratoga.