Pay Any Price calls on class to repeat in Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla - One old veteran and a couple of up-and-coming young stars shared top billing during the early stages of Saturday’s Summit of Speed program at Gulfstream Park.
The 8-year-old Pay Any Price struggled a bit over a less-than-firm turf course but was still able to successfully defend his title in the $75,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint with a 1 ¼-length victory over Diddley. He sandwiched that performance between one-sided tallies by the promising 3-year-olds Alter Moon and War Giant in the $75,000 Azalea and Carry Back stakes.
Pay Any Price is the North American record holder at five furlongs on the turf, having established the mark of 53.61 winning the Silks Run Stakes here in March of 2017. It took him considerably longer to complete the same distance, 58.29, over the softer ground on Saturday when leading throughout to win the Bob Umphrey.
The victory was the third in a row and 14th in 23 career starts for Pay Any Price, who has won 11 races over the Gulfstream turf course. He is owned by Richard Averill and Matties Racing, and trained by Ralph Ziadie. He paid $2.80.
“We were fairly confident going in because he’d been doing so well, but I got a little nervous when it rained and I saw all the kickback on the turf course in the first race,” said Averill. “He definitely did not prefer the course today, but he did what he had to do and it was nice to be able to come back and win this race for a second year in a row. Hopefully we’ll be able to come back and do it again next year as well.”
Pay Any Price gave jockey Edgard Zayas back-to-back stakes wins. He also guided Alter Moon to her six-length triumph over Starcloud in the Azalea. It was another 1 ¼ lengths farther back to Starship Bonita, who finished third.
Alter Moon broke a step slowly from the inside then rated behind the early pace contested by her stablemate Writer’s Almanac and Starcloud. Alter Moon rallied three wide to challenge on the final turn and drew well clear in early stretch before increasing her advantage under steady urging to the end.
The win was the second in a row for Alter Moon, a daughter of Alternation who is trained by Jose Velez for JAL Racing. She completed seven furlongs in 1:23.35 and returned $3.40
“I actually thought she’d be in front but it didn’t work out like that, but she was able to come from the back to win,” said Velez, who celebrated his first stakes victory in the U.S. “I always thought she was this type of filly, and seven furlongs is definitely her best distance.”
War Giant was similarly impressive in the Carry Back, leading throughout to a 5 ¾-length decision over Noble Drama. Sighted finished a tiring third. The win was the third in a row for War Giant, by a combined margin of 23 lengths, with each of those victories coming since trainer Oscar Gonzalez equipped him with blinkers for the first time in his 3-year-old debut here on May 3.
War Giant, a son of Date Link, is owned by Wilfredo Agusti Jr. He paid $5.40 after running seven furlongs in 1:22.85.
“He wants to lead the race from the beginning,” Gonzalez said through an interpreter after the race. “If he can lead for the first two splits, he’s very difficult to overcome. He is a distracted horse, but since I’ve put the blinkers on he’s more focused and has been improving and we’ll keep them on. I think his talent is limitless and that he can be a graded-stakes horse.”