Papetu rallies for Carry Back Stakes triumph
Papetu, making his first start since a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, rallied to a 1 1/4-length victory over Real Talk in Saturday’s $75,000 Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Moonlite Strike, the 2-1 favorite in a scratched-reduced field of seven 3-year-olds, finished third.
Papetu raced wide and was never a factor in the Florida Derby, finishing 17 1/4 lengths behind Known Agenda. In his previous start, Papetu, a son of Dialed In, had finished third behind Greatest Honour in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
With jockey Leonel Reyes aboard, Papetu rated within easy striking distance of the pacesetting Moonlite Strike, winner of the Roar Stakes in his previous start. Kept wide into the stretch, Papetu overtook the leader before six furlongs, then gradually edged clear at the end. Real Talk, making just his second stakes start and first since his juvenile campaign, attended the pace, ran on willingly down the lane but could not match strides with the winner at the end.
Moonlite Strike set a surprisingly easy pace, fell behind the top two in early stretch, before continuing on willingly along the rail to be third.
The win was the third of the day for Reyes, who rode Papetu for trainer Antonio Sano. Owned by Magic Stables LLC, Papetu covered seven panels in 1:22.51 and returned $9.40.
“He was training very good,” Sano said. “I knew that he wasn’t 100 percent, but we had to start somewhere. He ran a very good race. We would like to run him at Saratoga in August.”