Funtastic Again romps to front-running score in Leonatus Stakes
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Funtastic Again stepped forward to emerge as the prime candidate for Turfway Park’s upcoming Kentucky Derby points races, cruising to a 3 3/4-length victory under a hand ride in the $125,000 Leonatus Stakes on Saturday night.
The Leonatus, at a mile on the Tapeta, was Turfway's first two-turn stakes test of this winter-spring season for 3-year-olds, leading directly into the Florence, Ky., track's two Kentucky Derby points races – the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial (20-8-6-4-2) at 1 1/16 miles on March 4 and the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby (100-40-30-20-10) at 1 1/8 miles on March 25. Last year, Rich Strike finished third in the Leonatus, fourth in the Battaglia, and third in the Ruby en route to his Kentucky Derby upset victory.
Funtastic Again was away well from post 3 in the field of nine 3-year-olds, and jockey Gerardo Corrales let the colt roll with his natural speed. With his ears pricked, the colt ticked off opening splits of 24.09 seconds for the quarter and 48.12 for the half on the Tapeta surface.
Funtastic Again continued to lead around the far turn and brought a 1 1/2-length lead to the top of the stretch. Corrales scrubbed the reins on his mount’s neck a few times to ask him to run on into the straightaway, then took a peek under his arm. He was a statue in the irons for the rest of the way, as Funtastic Again drew off as he pleased to the final margin.
He finished the mile in 1:37.05 and was awarded a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 85.
Behind the winner, American Speed, who had tracked throughout, held second by a nose over Ironsides, who angled out and came with a rally. They were 3 1/4 lengths clear of Accident, followed by second choice Raise Cain, who never menaced and faded in the final furlong.
Mendel's Secret, Itzos, Saturn Boy, and Hayes Strike completed the order of finish. Funtastic Again's job did get easier on the front end when front-running maiden winner Itzos – the half-brother to Rachel Alexandra – was pinched back early, and Mendel's Secret, also expected to contribute to the pace, bobbled badly at the start.
Funtastic Again has now won 3 of 5 career starts for Wesley Ward and owner Three Chimneys Farm, two of those wins coming on Tapeta and one on dirt. After finishing seventh in his debut sprinting on the Belmont turf, the colt stretched out to win his maiden in an off-the-turf race at a mile at Saratoga, cruising by 6 1/2 lengths. He remained on dirt for the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, finishing ninth. He got back in the win column with a front-running 5 1/2-length score in an allowance/optional-claiming race going a mile Dec. 2 at Turfway, setting him up for stakes company at the track.
Funtastic Again is from the first crop of Three Chimneys stallion Funtastic, a More Than Ready horse who won the Grade 1 United Nations routing on the turf. The stallion is from the family of Horse of the Year honorees Saint Liam, who sired champion Havre de Grace in his only crop; and Gun Runner, a white-hot young sire who was represented by Preakness winner Early Voting in his first crop.
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