9th-DMR, $53,500, Msw, 11-14, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.17, ft.
DREFONG, c, 2, by Gio Ponti
1st Dam: Eltimaas, by Ghostzapper
2nd Dam: Najecam, by Trempolino
3rd Dam: Sue Warner, by *Forli
Drefong was well-bet down to 9-5 favoritism, but broke slowly and made an eye-catching middle move in his Oct. 24 Santa Anita unveiling, but ducked in sharply at the sixteenth pole and was forced to settle for fifth behind Saturday's GIII Bob Hope S. runner-up Mac Daddy Mac (Put It Back). He had no such trouble this time. Off as the 5-2 second choice, bay colt went right to the front, carved out splits of :22.24 and :45.33, and galloped away the easiest graduates, reporting home some 8 3/4 lengths to the good of Blue Navy Blue (Flatter). As a $200,000 purchase as a weanling out of the 2013 Keeneland November sale, Drefong was the joint most-expensive horse for his first-crop sire (by Tale of the Cat) that year. His purchase price of $450,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale was the second-highest of the 57 Gio Pontis to go under the hammer, second only to the $500,000 for the close relative to champion She's a Tiger (Tale of the Cat) and Smiling Tiger (Hold That Tiger). The fifth individual winner for his sire, Drefong is out of a half-sister to champion juvenile Action This Day (Kris S.), and hails from the extended female family of this year's GI Pattison Canadian International S. winner Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid). Sales history: $200,000 Wlg '13 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $32,240. Click for the Equibase.com chart, VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton or the Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Baoma Corporation; B-Frederick M Allor, Michael T Barnett, Anthony M Warrender (KY); T-Bob Baffert. [bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”][bullet ad=”machmer-hall-dam-resides”][bullet ad=”woodsedgefarm-grad”]
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