Sword Zorro finds first stakes victory in Singletary
ARCADIA, Calif. - Sword Zorro won the first stakes of his career by three-quarters of a length in Sunday’s $100,500 Singletary Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita, but the finish was deceptive from jockey Umberto Rispoli’s point of view.
Sword Zorro ($7) closed from last in a field of six with a wide rally in early stretch to take the lead in the final furlong.
“I thought I had a lot underneath,” Rispoli said. “He was looking around. The margin could have been more.”
Sword Zorro ran a mile on turf in 1:36.63, outfinishing 3-2 favorite Petruchio, who rallied on the rail on the turn. Man Friday (8-1) finished third, followed by Coastal, Gator Shining, and Sensemaker.
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Sensemaker, the winner of an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on April 4, had his stakes debut in the Singletary. Sensemaker set a modest pace of 23.31 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.55 for a half-mile, but faded tamely in the final furlong.
Man Friday led briefly in the stretch and finished two lengths behind Sword Zorro, an Irish-bred colt by the Dansili stallion Zoffany.
Sword Zorro, owned by Yuesheng Zhang, is trained by John Sadler, whose stable has an excellent chance to win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday with Rock Your World. Rispoli rode Rock Your World to a win in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3, but Joel Rosario has the mount in the Kentucky Derby.
The change of riders was announced by Sadler on April 17, hours after he and Rispoli teamed to win the Mizdirection Stakes at Santa Anita with Constantia.
Sword Zorro was the third stakes win this month for Rispoli and Sadler as a team. Rispoli gained the mount on Kentucky Derby hopeful Brooklyn Strong on Sunday, the first time the Italian rider will have a mount in the American classic. Rispoli relocated from Hong Kong to California in December 2019.
Sword Zorro has won 2 of 7 starts and has earned $84,900. The win in the Singletary was Sword Zorro’s second start in the United States, preceded by a fifth after a slow start in the Baffle Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf on Feb. 5.
In Ireland last year, when trained by Jessica Harrington, Sword Zorro won his fifth and final start in a maiden race at seven furlongs on turf at Leopardstown in October.