Go Around upholding family name

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Go Around gave breeder and owner Peter Vegso a meaningful victory when he scored by a neck in the $75,000 Tampa Turf Classic for Florida-breds on April 9 at Tampa Bay Downs, and his connections believe that he’s a horse on the rise. Go Around, a 4-year-old colt by Medaglia d’Oro, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Fort Marcy Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for older horses at Belmont Park on May 7.

Go Around was produced by the Caerleon mare Mediation, who also produced the Grade 1-winning millionaire Go Between for Vegso. Go Between, by Point Given, won four graded stakes and earned $2.91 million in a career highlighted by a victory in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic in 2008. Go Between died of an apparent heart attack at age 6 in January 2009 after a workout at Payson Park, leaving Vegso devastated, he said at the time.

Go Around is trained by Bill Mott, who also trained Go Between. Go Around has won four of his eight starts, with three third-place finishes, and has earned $227,860. The Tampa Turf Classic was his first stakes victory, though the horse did finish third in the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga last September.

In the Tampa Turf Classic, Go Around earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure, two points off his career-best mark, finishing the 1 1/8-mile race on firm turf in 1:47.11 under leading local jockey Antonio Gallardo and holding off the Chad Brown-trained Fundamental.

“It meant a lot because we’d been kind of in a dry spell for the past few years, with not much happening,” Vegso said of the Tampa stakes win. “This is a half-brother of [Go Between] who has a bit of spunk. Hopefully, he has a great 4-year-old year like his brother did.”

Go Between won two listed stakes and the Grade 3 Fayette Stakes at age 4 before enjoying his best season at 5, when he won the Pacific Classic and the Sunshine Millions Classic and ran second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup, and Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes. In the final start of his career, Go Between ran fifth behind Raven’s Pass in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

“Go Between developed later on, and I think he got better with age,” Mott said. “That seems to be the case with Go Around, too.”

Vegso, who lives in south Florida, breeds and raises horses at a farm in Ocala, Fla., where Mediation, 24, still lives. The Irish-bred mare won five of 23 starts, including a minor stakes at The Curragh in Ireland, and earned $194,843.

Vegso said Mediation might be bred to Munnings this year if her health allows. Her most recent foal is a 2-year-old Jump Start filly named Go Forward. In all, she has produced 12 foals, with 10 winners from as many starters.

– additional reporting by Joe Nevills