Dispatched as the 23-10 second choice in Saturday's GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar, Pappacap (Gun Runner) became the first stakes winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}) with a convincing victory.
Away smoothly from the three hole, the homebred was content to sit in third position beneath Joe Bravo, stalking the dueling duo of Bet On Mookie (Uncaptured) and Thirsty Always (Stay Thirsty) through an opening quarter in :22.11. Ridden quietly past the five-sixteenths pole, Pappacap was asked to come after the pacesetters three wide on the swing for home, breezed by with a minimum of fuzz and drew clear to remain unbeaten in two starts, having wired a field of Gulfstream babies by 2 3/4 lengths at first asking May 14. Finneus (Stay Thirsty) finished nicely to complete the exacta ahead of Bet On Mookie in third. Gun Runner joins Practical Joke, Mohaymen and Caravaggio as first-crop sires to be represented by a winner at the graded/group level.
“I was glad to see how well he settled in behind those two up front,” the winning jockey commented. “His race in Florida, he just was pure speed. You don't know if that's the way they like to go. But he showed another dimension today. Mark Casse sends them out ready.”
Pedigree Notes:
Karen and George Rustle acquired Pappacap's dam privately after she was bought back on a bid of $110,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. One of three winners from as many to race out of Pappascat, Pappacap has a yearling half-brother by Bolt d'Oro and a colt foal by Spendthrift's Omaha Beach. Sticking to the Danzig line, the Rustles most recently bred Pappascat to War of Will. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Saturday, Del Mar
BEST PAL S.-GII, $200,500, Del Mar, 8-7, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.66, ft.
1–PAPPACAP, 120, c, 2, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Pappascat (GSP, $165,762), by Scat Daddy
2nd Dam: Redmeansgo, by Red Ransom
3rd Dam: Majestic Dy, by Dynaformer
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Rustlewood Farm Inc (FL); T-Mark E Casse; J-Joe Bravo. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $158,000. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Finneus, 120, c, 2, Stay Thirsty–My Fiona, by Ghostzapper. ($200,000 Ylg '20 FTCAYR). O-Naseer Mohammed Fasihuddin, Terry C Lovingier & Amanda Navarro; B-Terry C Lovingier (CA); T-Walther Solis. $40,000.
3–Bet On Mookie, 120, c, 2, Uncaptured–Brown Glaze, by War Front. ($125,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Gary Barber; B-Ocala Stud (FL); T-Peter Miller. $24,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 1HF, NK. Odds: 2.30, 4.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Thirsty Always, Aquitania Arrival, Our Empire. Scratched: Olympic Legend.
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