Stronghold caps big weekend for Fresu

For a Southern California-based jockey, Antonio Fresu had a near-perfect weekend last Friday through Sunday.

On Friday at Santa Anita, Fresu won four races on a nine-race program, his first four-win day since he began riding in the United States last April. On Saturday, Fresu won the Baffle Stakes on turf on the promising 3-year-old Stay Hot.

On Sunday, after a brief stay at Santa Anita for morning workouts, Fresu traveled to Sunland Park in New Mexico where he won the richest race of his American career on Stronghold in the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby.

The $400,000 Sunland Park Derby was Stronghold’s 3-year-old debut and moved him closer to a potential start in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4.

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Stronghold, the 6-5 favorite, raced near the front throughout and won the Sunland Park Derby by 2 1/4 lengths, finishing 1 1/16 miles in stakes record time of 1:42.64. Stronghold earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 89.

“I was really confident he could run a big race,” Fresu said. “I think he’s even better than that. When he made the front, he was waiting for some company. He’s still maturing.”

While the four-win day and lucrative win at Sunland were milestones, Fresu’s success has been nearly a year in the making. A 32-year-old native of Italy, Fresu has won 108 races since arriving from Dubai last April.

Fresu made an early impression by winning 13 races at the spring meeting at Santa Anita in his first few months in California, and with 31 wins at the Del Mar last summer, finishing third in the standings at that prestigious meeting. In a four-day racing week from Aug. 24-27, Fresu had 10 wins.

By early September, Fresu knew he was staying in California.

“I didn’t have any expectations when I came over,” he said. “It was hard to decide to stay or leave again. After a great Del Mar, I decided to base myself here because I had such a great meet.”

Through Sunday, the most recent day of racing at Santa Anita, Fresu ranked third in the standings at the current winter-spring meeting with 26 wins, trailing Flavien Prat and Juan Hernandez, who are tied for first with 32 wins.

“They are great jockeys and tough to beat,” he said. “I’m following my path and trying to do the best for myself.”

Fresu, who is represented by longtime agent Tom Knust, rode Stronghold for trainer Phil D’Amato, for whom he also rides the stakes-winning turf miler Easter.

Easter won the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes on Dec. 26, the 6-year-old gelding’s third consecutive stakes win. Fresu has been aboard for two of those wins, including the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar in November.

“Easter was impressive at Del Mar,” Fresu said. “He looks like a good horse in the making.”

Easter’s next start is scheduled for the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita on March 2, the same day Fresu is expected to ride Mixto for trainer Doug O’Neill in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. Fresu has yet to win a Grade 1 in the United States.

O’Neill was instrumental in urging Fresu to move to California last year. Fresu rode for O’Neill in Dubai when the trainer had a small group of runners based in that country in recent winters.

Last Friday, Fresu rode winners for Carla Gaines, O’Neill, and two for Peter Eurton, who had three wins on the program.

Fresu’s winners had winning $2 prices ranging from $4.60 to $77.80. The day could have been better, Fresu said, if Topolina, the 3-2 favorite, had not stumbled at the start of a turf sprint and eventually finished third.

“I thought it would have been five” winners, Fresu said. “It was a good day. I always come to the races with positive thinking.

“It’s hard enough to win one race. To win four was a great day. One horse was 35-1. You don’t expect that.”

Two days later, Fresu had the richest win of his American career.

“I’ve had support from great trainers,” Fresu said. “It’s a big help. It’s up to me to be my best.”

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