Justify's Tahoma impresses with juvenile victory

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tahoma, the first U.S. starter for 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, recorded a convincing win by two lengths in a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds at Santa Anita on Sunday despite a wide trip.

Sent off favored, Tahoma ($3.80) broke from post 7 in a field of eight and raced four-wide on the turn before taking the lead with a furlong remaining under Juan Hernandez.

“The inside horses were fast,” Hernandez said. “I sat outside and tried to keep up with them. At the quarter-pole, he changed leads and picked it up and passed those horses.

“He broke sharp. He did it himself.”

Tahoma ran 4 1/2 furlongs in 53.89 seconds. Salta (24-1) closed from fifth to finish second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of 20-1 Eagles Landing, who closed from last.

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Tahoma is owned by West Coast Stable and trained by Doug O’Neill. Purchased for $160,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale, Tahoma is out of the Rahy mare Madera Dancer.

A colt, Tahoma is a half-brother to the O’Neill-trained Legends of War, who won the Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson Stakes for turf sprinters at Kentucky Downs in 2019 and was 12th at 28-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint that year at Santa Anita.

O’Neill had a perfect weekend with juveniles. On Saturday, Absolutely Zero, by Nyquist, won a maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies in her debut.

Owned and bred by Paul and Zillah Reddam and ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Absolutely Zero ($3.40) closed from fourth in a field of six to win by 1 3/4 lengths, finishing 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.82 seconds.

A California-bred, Absolutely Zero is out of How About Zero, a two-time stakes winner against California-breds who won 3 of 16 starts and earned $349,640.