Classic Empire Filly Sets Quarter-Mile Mark at OBS

It was a stroll in the park for Summer Wind Equine's Triple Tap (Tapit), who was really only asked to run the final 150 yards en route to becoming a new 'TDN Rising Star' Saturday at Santa Anita. The homebred left the outside stall in a scratched-down field of four without incident and was content to take back to sit in second, as the filly Eyes Open (Street Sense) went very easily on the engine through an opening quarter in just :23.31. Triple Tap was camped on the filly's flank into the turn, passing the three-furlong pole in a tepid :46.63, but he eased past his rival at will in upper stretch and was allowed to finish his race off, covering his final eighth of a mile in a sharp :12.15 before turning in a strong gallop out. The final margin of victory was a deceptively easy 4 1/4 lengths. Triple Tap is the immaculately bred half-brother to Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Horse of the Year., Ch. 2yo & 3yo Colt, Triple Crown, MGISW, $8,650,300, and his dam was acquired by Jane Lyon's operation for $2.1 million carrying a full-sibling to American Pharoah at Fasig-Tipton November in 2014 a few months after American Cleopatra (Pioneerof the Nile) finished second in the GI Del Mar Debutante and a short time after American Pharoah had been ruled out of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The resulting foal was St Patrick's Day, Group 3-placed in Ireland, and Littleprincessemma produced a filly to Tapit in 2016. Chasing Yesterday ($488,650) upheld the family tradition with a victory in the 2018 GI Starlet S. and recently gave birth to her first foal, a filly by Curlin. Subsequent produce include the 2-year-old filly Lasting Tribute (Tapit), the yearling filly Sunrise Service (Tapit), and Littleprincessemma is due to Tapit this April. “It went well and he rated kindly,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. “When Prat asked him to go, he took off. He looked like he was in control of the race and Flavien worked him the other day for me and he really loved him. He usually doesn't say too much. When he came back, he said it was nothing for him, he was just getting going here in the end, so that's good sign.” Any chance he returns in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby? “It's going to be a little difficult, the thing is, we don't [want] to rush him, so we're not even thinking about that right now,” Baffert said. “I want to get this race out of the way and then we're gonna talk about it and figure out what we're gonna do. He won nice, it looks like he can go two turns easily, I just like what I saw today. I really didn't want to go seven eighths with him. The further the better with him. I gotta thank track management here for letting us run these great horses in short fields.” Click here to read more on Triple Tap.