Emergence
CHC’s American colt partnerships enjoyed another successful Saturday, this time at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. The day began with a decisive debut victory for Emergence, the first winner for our new partnership with Qatar Racing and Trilogy USA and our ninth colt from this crop to win overall.
Running long on the synthetic, the hulking bay colt took his time getting going, racing near the back early. He steadily picked up steam on the backstretch run and charged to the lead entering the lane, coasting home to a 3 1/4 -length victory.
“It was more about the distance than the surface,” CHC’s Regional Manager of the Americas Christie DeBernardis said. “He is a big horse, who will run all day, so we just wanted to find a two-turn race for him and this one happened to be the best option available. He has worked well on dirt, and we feel, as long as he gets a route of ground, surface won’t matter, so he will get his shot on dirt in the future. It is an exciting start for this new partnership.”
Next up was ‘TDN Rising Star’ River Thames, who took his record to two-for-two with another ultra-impressive score. Extending to a mile after a dominating six-furlong debut at this oval, the NY-bred stalked from second through the early going. Stalling for a breath at the half-mile marker, the bay jumped back into the bridle and kicked it into high gear, powering clear to a 6 ½-length success. He is likely to make his next start in either the GII Fountain of Youth S. or GI Florida Derby.
Gunmetal managed to be third after a tough trip in the Swale S. two races later. Bumped hard from both sides at the break, the speedy chestnut engaged in a three-way speed duel, blazing through quick early fractions. Given those factors, he drained his tank early, but secured some coveted black-type.
Tappan Street made his first steps down the Kentucky Derby trail in the GIII Holy Bull S. to cap off the day. Breaking well, the bay raced three wide most of the way around. Bumped by his inside neighbor just past the half-mile marker, he maintained his course and surged to the lead when shaken up by rider Luis Saez. A bit green in the lane, the $1-million FTSSAR yearling was overtaken by a late-running rival and finished second by a little over a length. He earned 10 points towards a spot in the Derby starting gate in the process.
“When Luis Saez got off the horse, the first thing he said to me was, ‘We are going to win the Derby with Tappan Street,’” DeBernardis said. “He raced wide, was slow to switch leads and was green. It was only his second start and first time going long, so it was a great performance and there is plenty of room for improvement. The goal isn’t for him to peak now, it’s for him to peak on the first Saturday in May and this was a good first step towards that.”