Fast Pass rallies outside en route to Opening Lead victory

Fast Pass finished full of run down the center of the course to register a one-length victory over 4-5 favorite Cautious Giant in Sunday’s $75,000 Opening Lead Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Fast Pass, a 6-year-old son of Successful Appeal, dropped back nearly 10 lengths off the leader leaders in the run around the turn, angled five wide rallying into the stretch before overtaking Cautious Giant to edge clear at the end. The latter stalked the pace, moved readily to gain command nearing the quarter pole, edged clear through midstretch, but proved no match for the winner. Star Juancho was another half-length farther back in third.

The tally was the second in a row for Fast Pass, who used similar late-running tactics to capture a first-level optional claiming and allowance race for trainer Peter Walder on April 25. Miguel Vasquez rode the winner, who completed six furlongs in 1:10.02 and paid $15.80.

The Opening Lead serves as a potential prep for the $250,000, Grade 3 Smile Sprint on June 29.

“The jock rode him perfect, he’s not the easiest horse to ride,” said Walder, who co-owns Fast Pass with Paradise Farms Corp. “Especially going short, the speed tends to get away from you. You just have to trust he’s going to make that run.”

Walder said he would “take a look” at the seven-furlong Smile with Fast Pass, indicating six to 6 1/2 furlongs is really his optimum distance.

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Trenchtown Cat impresses in Ana T.

One day earlier, Trenchtown Cat earned herself a possible berth in the $250,000, Grade 2 Princess Rooney, the headliner on the June 29 Summit of Speed program, by virtue of her easy and impressive 3 1/4-length victory in the $75,000 Ana T. Stakes. Razorback Lady, the odds-on favorite, finished second, a length in front of Sean’s Idea, while making her first start since finishing second in the Grade 2 Inside Information on March 16.

Trenchtown Cat, the only 3-year-old in the Ana T lineup, covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.85 and returned $18.40. She is trained by Rohan Crichton and, like Fast Pass, was ridden to victory by Vasquez.

Crichton has the option of wheeling Trenchtown Cat back against older horses in the Princess Rooney, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup, or the Azalea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, which will also be decided on the rich Summit of Speed card.