Nash failed to follow up his scintillating victory last month at Churchill Downs with a strong performance in the $98,000 Gun Runner Stakes Dec. 23 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and finished third as the 1-5 favorite to Track Phantom , who broke his maiden in his last start.
Ridden by Cristian Torres for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who trained Gun Runner , Track Phantom earned 10 points with his 1 1/4-length victory toward the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1).
Nash, under Florent Geroux, made a menacing move at the top of stretch, but was unable to keep that momentum going. He finished third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Snead , who made a closing run in the 1 1/16-mile race, which was completed in 1:44.42.
Track Phantom ($11.80) played a prominent role in the early pace while racing alongside longshot Next Level through a half-mile run in a snappy :46.93.
“Very impressive that both of his two-turn races have been victories,” Asmussen said. “Good field today. I thought they went too fast in the middle—46 and 4, here in a two-turn race, you don’t see it hold on very often. But he’s a very good horse and has some room to physically develop.”
A son of Quality Road, Track Phantom was bred by Breeze Easy. He is owned by L and N Racing, Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom, and Breeze Easy. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency to the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he was bought for $500,000 by L and N Racing. Dam Miss Sunset , a daughter of Into Mischief, was a graded stakes winner. Track Phantom is her first black-type winner from two foals to race.
Video: Gun Runner S. (BT)
alpine princess strolls in Untapable Stakes
Alpine Princess , the 8-5 favorite, won the $97,000 Untapable Stakes as she pleased. The 2-year-old daughter of Classic Empire set pedestrian fractions while alone on the early lead under Florent Geroux and strolled home a two-length winner of the mile and 70-yard race.
Alpine Princess wins the Untapable Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Trained by Brad Cox for Full of Run Racing and Madaket Stables, Alpine Princess picked up 10 points for next year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) with her victory, which was her third in five starts. Full of Run Racing purchased the filly, who was bred by Betz, DJ Stables, Peter V. Lamantia, and Classic Empire Syndicate, for $190,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Alpine Princess is the first foal out of the Curlin mare, Le Moine.
Video: Untapable S. (BT)
In Other Action
- Gentry Farms’ homebred Lovely Princess , under Brian Hernandez Jr., turned back Creative Cairo to win the Blushing K. D. Stakes by a head.
- Hernandez earned back-to-back stakes scores with Legalize , the winner of the Sugar Bowl Stakes for 2-year-olds.
- The 18-1 Leslie’s Loot , ridden by apprentice Jaime Torres, set sizzling fractions en route to a 3 3/4-length victory for trainer and co-owner James Chapman in the Letellier Memorial Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
- Torres doubled up in the Richard R. Scherer Memorial Stakes aboard Just Might , a wire-to-wire winner for trainer and co-owner Michelle Lovell.
- Two Emmys , unraced since February, controlled the pace to win the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes by a length under James Graham.
- The 12-1 Five Star General took the Tenacious Stakes by three lengths under Marcelino Pedroza Jr.
