From the BloodHorse written by Christine Oser and Byron King, “A race later, LNJ Foxwoods’ Outfoxed captured her third straight stakes victory in Florida, this time defeating open company in the $125,000 Gasparilla Stakes.
The Valiant Minister filly was third at Saratoga Race Course on debut last summer at 2, then broke her maiden in the FTBOA Florida Sire Susan’s Girl Stakes before annexing the FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl Stakes, both wins coming at Gulfstream.
The seven-furlong Gasparilla marked her 3-year-old debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, and jockey Samy Camacho rated her in fifth early as Platinum Gem opened with a :22.09 quarter-mile on the fast main track. The pacesetter ran the half in :44.65 but began to give way while Camacho was calling upon his mount, the even-money favorite.
Outfoxed picked off rivals in the turn, entered the homestretch four wide, and put away Strategic Bird to gain the lead in the final sixteenth. Goddess of Fire made her own rally from the back but Outfoxed held on to win by three-quarters of a length and paid $4.20 to win. The final time was 1:23.37.
“It was a different group of horses on a different racetrack, and I thought it took her about a quarter-mile to get her legs under her,” said Mott, who watched the race from South Florida. “But she was able to get up in gear enough for the win and was very professional about it.
“The water is going to get deeper from here on, and I think her toughest tests are ahead of her,” added Mott, who said the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes Feb. 12 at a mile and 40 yards could be an option for Outfoxed’s next start. “We want to keep the doors open at Tampa and elsewhere.”
Goddess of Fire rallied belatedly to finish second by three-quarters of a length ahead of weakening third-place finish Strategic Bid in the eight-horse field.
Outfoxed was bred in Florida by Baoma Corp. and is the first foal out of the stakes-winning Kantharos mare Savigntime. The dam has since produced a 2-year-old Tunwoo filly, a yearling Valiant Minister filly, and was bred back to Valiant Minister for 2022.
First time through the auction ring, Outfoxed sold for $27,000 to Jesse Hoppel out of Abbie Road Farm’s consignment to the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale. She was then picked up for $360,000 by the bloodstock agency partnership of Solis/Litt from Hoppel’s Coastal Equine consignment to the 2021 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. After four starts, her earnings stand at $477,000.”
To read the rest of this article:
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/256141/markhamian-outfoxed-capture-stakes-at-tampa
