Social Paranoia comes from last to score in Appleton Stakes

Social Paranoia did his best to distance himself from the other 11 runners in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Appleton Stakes, lagging behind the field for the opening five furlongs of the race.

It was really only in the stretch that he briefly got close to his competition before blowing past them in a last-to-first blitzkrieg under Florent Geroux that carried him to a 1 1/4-length victory over stablemate Sombeyay in the highly contentious Appleton.

Sombeyay finshed second by a head over March to the Arch, the lukewarm 7-2 favorite.

It was the first graded stakes win for Social Paranoia, who had finished second or third in four previous graded tries. He was making his first start since he won the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs last Sept. 8.

Though he had never run this short on turf before in his career, Social Paranoia did win a maiden race by eight lengths going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream last March.

Saturday, with Florent Geroux subbing for Javier Castellano – who was forced off his mounts due to contracting coronavirus – Social Paranoia was last of 12, about 11 lengths off the early pace. The pace was contested with a rank El Tormenta and Maraud and, early on Dr. Edgar, scrambling for the front end.

Sombeyay, who was in the second flight, seized the lead from Maraud in midstretch, but he was no match for Social Paranoia, who rallied six wide in the lane to get the job done.

Tyler Gaffalione, aboard third-place finisher March to the Arch, claimed foul against the winner but the stewards quickly dismissed it.

Social Paranoia, a son of Street Boss owned by The Elkstone Group and trained by Todd Pletcher, covered the mile in 1:32.81 and returned $14.60 to win.