Fast Anna will head to Ritvo's Saratoga base next

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Fast Anna may not have opened his 2015 campaign to rave reviews off Broadway, but he will be heading to the Big Apple off what really what matters most, a victory.

Making his first start since finishing a solid fifth after contesting a blistering pace with winner Work All Week in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Fast Anna switched to grass to kick off his 4-year-old season with a hard-fought half-length triumph in Thursday’s Sawgrass Handicap. Jockey Michael Ritvo, who guided Fast Anna to his first two wins as a 3-year-old in 2014, came down for the day to handle the riding chores for his mother, trainer Kathy Ritvo.

“I was happy with his first start on turf and the way he ran coming off such a long layoff,” said Kathy Ritvo. “He’ll be leaving for Saratoga this week. Whether his next start will be on the turf, or back on dirt, I’ll determine after we get situated up north.”

Ritvo said she is bringing a half-dozen horses to Saratoga for the summer. The majority of her New York-based stable is owned by Dean and Patti Reeves, for whom she trained Mucho Macho Man to a Breeders’ Cup Classic victory in 2013.