Fleet Eagle dominates at 39-1 in Governor's Handicap

The first stakes race of the meeting for older horses turned into a stunning mismatch Sunday at Emerald Downs. Fleet Eagle, the longest shot on the board at 39-1, romped to a 6 3/4-length victory in the $50,000 Governor’s Handicap, giving Southern California-based trainer Paula Capestro her first win of 2015. Capestro had been 0 for 31 on the year prior to Sunday.

Fleet Eagle had finished last in his previous start at Santa Anita as a 97-1 shot, but his quick turn of foot proved invaluable on a new surface against lesser foes. After dueling with Scat Daddybaby until midway around the turn, Fleet Eagle and jockey Diego Sanchez spurted clear and bounded into the stretch with a four-length lead. They arrived at the sixteenth pole in 1:07.92 and finished the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.27, just .55 of a second off the stakes record. Fleet Eagle paid $81.40.

Noosito, the 9-5 favorite, crossed the line a distant second but was disqualified and placed sixth for causing interference in the stretch. Trick Or Retreat was elevated to second, and Mike Man’s Gold finished third. They were followed by Absolutely Cool, Mebossman, Valiant Flame, Del Rio Harbor, Disruption, and Scat Daddybaby in a field of 10.

Fleet Eagle, a 6-year-old by Don’t Get Mad, a son of Stephen Got Even, has been competing for Capestro and co-owner Francesca De La Flor since last fall. He was Capestro’s first starter at Emerald Downs. Bred in Kentucky, Fleet Eagle earned $27,500, improving his lifetime ledger to 5-3-4 from 27 starts with earnings of $182,705. His next start is likely to come in the one-mile Budweiser Handicap on June 14.