Tappan Street (Into Mischief), making just his third lifetime start and first since a runner-up effort in the Feb. 1 GIII Holy Bull Stakes, punched his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby with a stylish victory over favored Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park Saturday.
“He really ran like we thought he would,” said Elliott Walden of WinStar Farm, which owns the colt in partnership with CHC, Inc. and Cold Press Racing. “We've given him the time after the Holy Bull because we thought he was this type of horse, and it was nice for him to show up. He's taken that step now and I think he's going to be a very live horse going into the Kentucky Derby.”
Sent off at 2-1, Tappan Street rushed up and over from his outside draw and was chasing the pacesetters three wide on the first turn, while Sovereignty, who broke to his outside was taken in hand to settle near the back of the field early. Tappan Street settled in fourth down the backstretch as Madaket Road (Quality Road) and jockey Mike Smith opened up a clear lead through a quarter in :23.37 and a half in :47.22. The strapping bay colt made eye-catching progress on the far turn, ricocheted to the lead into the stretch and quickly opened up with authority, while Sovereignty, who had steadily improved his position on the turn and into the lane, was closing late, but had too much to do. Tappan Street sailed under the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front, completing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.27.
“Everything went to plan,” said winning jockey Luis Saez. “He broke from there pretty well. He was in good position. The whole way I had a lot of horse. We knew the speed was inside and we followed the speed. Everything came out perfect. He was traveling professionally today. I saw [Sovereignty] and I let my horse go a little bit more, and he gave me a good turn of foot. When he came to the top of the stretch, I knew it was going to be tough to catch [us]. I knew he was going to give me a good turn of foot at the top of the stretch. He always does.”
Purchased for $1 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, Tappan Street was a debut winner going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Dec. 28. He was second behind Burnham Square (Liam's Map) as the favorite in the Feb. 1 GIII Holy Bull Stakes last time out.
“Anytime you have a young horse like this and you give them eight weeks between starts, it's always a concern,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “But this is a very smart horse. He's intelligent. I thought he would break very, very well today the way he was training, and he did. That put him in the race and put him in a great position.”
Looking ahead to Tappan Street's route to the Derby, Cox said, “We have five weeks. We have to make sure he comes out of it in good order, first and foremost. Our plan right now is Monday or Tuesday to ship him to Churchill. Hopefully, he comes out of it in good order and we can march forward. I think he's going to get a tremendous amount out of this. This is a step forward today. His numbers his first two starts were really good. I felt like the two-month lead up to the Florida Derby would propel him forward.”
Godolphin homebred Sovereignty, who broke his maiden in the GIII Street Sense Stakes last October, was making his second start of the year after getting up late for the win in the Mar. 1 GII Fountain of Youth Stakes last time out.
“He came with his run,” trainer Bill Mott said of the 8-5 favorite's runner-up effort. “He ran well. He had a pretty good trip. He got a little wide going into the first turn, but he got in and got a pretty good trip. [Jockey Manny Franco] said the ground kind of broke away from him two different times, once at the three-eighths pole and once at the five-sixteenths pole. He said he kind of lost it and gathered himself up, and then he did it again. But, look, he ran OK. The winner ran good. It was a good race. This doesn't have to be his best race. Sometimes you can look at it and say, maybe that's a good thing. You don't want their best race before the big event. This is a very important race, but I think the fact that he ran very big last time and ran very well this time, maybe he'll continue to improve. I don't think the fact that he didn't win means he didn't run a good race.”
Pedigree Notes:
Tappan Street is the 83rd graded stakes winner for his all-conquering sire, Into Mischief. Other graded stakes winners by the Spendthrift stallion out of Distorted Humor mares include GI Breeders' Cup winner Life is Good, multiple Grade I winner Practical Joke, and last year's champion juvenile Citizen Bull.
Graded-placed Virginia Key has a 2-year-old colt by Curlin, a yearling filly by Quality Road, and was bred to Cody's Wish last year. The 10-year-old mare is a daughter of graded winner Our Khrysty (Newfoundland) and is a half-sister to Grade I winner Grace Adler (Curlin), graded winner Pyrenees (Into Mischief), and to the dam of stakes winner and graded-placed Miuccia (Mitole).
Saturday, Gulfstream
CURLIN FLORIDA DERBY PRESENTED BY HILL 'N' DALE FARMS AT XALAPA-GI, $1,020,000, Gulfstream, 3-29, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:49.27, ft.
1–TAPPAN STREET, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Virginia Key (GSP), by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Our Khrysty, by Newfoundland
3rd Dam: The Hess Express, by Lord Carson
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($1,000,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-WinStar Farm LLC, CHC, Inc. and Cold Press Racing; B-Blue Heaven Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $576,600. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $649,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sovereignty, 122, c, 3, Into Mischief–Crowned, by Bernardini.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Godolphin, LLC; B-Godolphin (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $186,000.
3–Neoequos, 122, c, 3, Neolithic–Bold Birdie, by Birdstone.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($22,000 Ylg '23 OBSOCT). O-C2 Racing
Stable LLC, Parsard, Ian, Shining Stables LLC and Stefania Farms
LLC; B-Helen Barbazon, Joseph Barbazon & Matalona
Thoroughbres,LLC (FL); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $113,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 2.40, 1.70, 11.70.
Also Ran: Madaket Road, Disruptor, Jimmy's Dailys, Indecisiveness, Cool Intentions, Smoken Boy, Enterdadragon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
🌹 #9 TAPPAN STREET ($6.80) secures a spot in the Kentucky Derby with an impressive victory in the $1,000,000 Florida Derby (G1) at @GulfstreamPark! The colt by @SpendthriftFarm's Into Mischief was piloted by @luissaezpty for @bradcoxracing. @WinStarFarm @Chinahorseclub pic.twitter.com/b2YQqVrsd0
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 29, 2025
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