Tapit’s Charge It Dominates Dwyer

The lightly raced 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (Tapit), a forgettable 17th with a nightmare trip in the GI Kentucky Derby, put it all together with a jaw-dropping victory in Saturday's GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont Park.

The rail-drawn 3-5 favorite–a green second while making his stakes debut at third asking in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Apr. 2– pressed Fluid Situation (Warrior's Reward) from second while racing in tight quarters along the fence here.

Hall of Famer Johnny Velazquez bulled his way into the clear after brushing with the tiring maiden winner and second choice Nabokov (Uncle Mo) at the five-eighths pole and the gray put on an absolute show from there. Charge It cruised to the front a quarter of a mile from home and was kept to task down the stretch to win by a devastating 23 lengths. Longshot Runninsonofagun (Gun Runner) was second; Fluid Situation was third.

“We always had a lot of confidence in this horse's ability,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We tried to correct the problem from the Derby [displaced palate], which we think we successfully did. Today, we saw the talent level that we'd been seeing from him.

Pletcher continued, “We drew the one-hole again [Life Is Good also had post one earlier on the card] and needed to come away and establish some position. We felt like that's where we would be and he would work his way into the clear, and it was pretty much game over from there.”

On potential next starts at Saratoga in the GII Jim Dandy S. July 30 and/or the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 27, Pletcher added, “We were hoping for a good performance today that would put us in the position to look at the Jim Dandy or the Travers or both. It was a powerful effort today, so we're back on track to where we thought we were at Florida Derby time. It's all about him telling us what to do. Could we train up to the Travers from here? I don't think that's impossible either.”

Pedigree Notes:

Charge It becomes the 154th stakes winner/96th graded winner for leading sire Tapit. The Tapit over Indian Charlie cross is also represented by the sensational unbeaten GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. winner Flightline. Indian Charlie is now responsible for 89 stakes winners/29 graded winners as a broodmare sire.

Charge It was produced by the winning mare I'll Take Charge, a $2.2-million KEESEP yearling purchase by Mandy Pope's operation. The 10-year-old is a daughter of bluehen mare Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who is responsible for champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song), GISW Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), MGSW & GISP As Time Goes By (American Pharoah); and Charming (Seeking the Gold), the dam of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) and MGISW Omaha Beach (War Front). I'll Take Charge produced a colt by Into Mischief this year and was bred back to Tapit.

Saturday, Belmont Park
DWYER S.-GIII, $250,000, Belmont, 7-2, 3yo, 1m, 1:34.67, ft.
1–CHARGE IT, 118, c, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: I'll Take Charge, by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Take Charge Lady, by Dehere
                3rd Dam: Felicita, by Rubiano
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. O/B-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher;
J-John R. Velazquez. $137,500. Lifetime Record: GISP, 5-2-2-0,
$367,900. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
2–Runninsonofagun, 119, g, 3, Gun Runner–Golden Artemis, by
Malibu Moon. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($16,000 2yo '21
KEEJAN). O-The Estate of Scott Zimmerman; B-Dattt Farm LLC
(KY); T-John T. Toscano, Jr.. $50,000.
3–Fluid Situation, 118, c, 3, Warrior's Reward–Volatile Vickie,
by Elusive Quality. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($45,000 Ylg '20 OBSOCT; $200,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR).
O-Curragh Stables; B-Hidden Point Farm Inc. (FL); T-John P.
Terranova, II. $30,000.
Margins: 23, 2 1/4, NO. Odds: 0.60, 15.80, 8.80.
Also Ran: Unbridled Bomber, No Sabe Nada, Nabokov.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Expensive Tapit Wins Well at Belmont

CAPENSIS (c, 3, Tapit–Tara's Tango, by Unbridled's Song) outran his 5-1 odds with a good-looking debut score at Belmont Saturday. The $2-million KEESEP buy saved ground in mid-pack early. Swung outside to launch his bid on the far turn, the gray kicked home strongly for a decisive graduation. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0.

O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; Robert LaPenta, Gainesway, Winchell Thoroughbreds & Stonestreet Stables; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (KY); T-Todd Pletcher.

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July 2 Insights: Tapit Colt With Princely Price Tag Debuts at Belmont

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

5th-BEL, $90k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 3:03p.m. ET
Carrying the weight of a princely $2 million KEESEP price tag as well as a host of well-known co-owners which includes breeders Stonestreet Farm, Capensis (Tapit) will be unveiled in this spot for trainer Todd Pletcher. Out of GI Santa Margarita S. winner Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song), he's half to fellow multi-million purchase Alexander Valley (Medaglia d'Oro)–a $2,150,000 buy at KEESEP by Godolphin. Capensis comes into the race off a bullet four furlong move over Saratoga's turf training track in :49.99 June 24. The grey is out of a half-sister to MGISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike,) who herself produced G3 Weatherbys Hamilton Supreme S. conqueror Toro Strike (Toronado {Ire}). The dam is also half to GI NetJets King's Bishop S. winner Visionaire (Grand Slam), GSW Madison's Luna (Tapit) and to the dam of stakes-winners Windmill (Street Sense) and Ignitis (Nyquist). TJCIS PPs

6th-WO, $90k, Msw, f, 2yo, 6fT, 3:44p.m. ET
Live Oak Plantation will send out their $625,000 FTSAUG 2021 procurement from Sam-son Farm in the form of Ticker Tape Home (Medaglia d'Oro) against a large field of 12 juvenile fillies in this sprint contest. In the barn of Mark Casse, and with a slate of sharp works to her credit, including a four furlong breeze over the synthetic track in :47.60 (6/75) June 25, she's been installed at 7-2 for the unveiling. Ticker Tape Home is out of GSW & MGSP Journey Home (War Front), who sold for $650,000 at KEENOV last year to KatieRich Farms, and is the second to the races behind unplaced Determined Empire (Empire Maker), who sold for $240,000 at FTKSEL in 2020. Second dam Soul Search (A.P. Indy) was placed in the GI Juddmonte Spinster and GI Personal Ensign S. before producing seven winners including 11-time victor Bold Shot (Curlin), and is half to GSP Reform Act (Lemon Drop Kid) as well as the dam of multiple stakes-winners Lunar Victory (Speightstown) and The Tea Cups (Hard Spun). This is the family of U.S. Ch. 2-year-old filly Pleasant Stage (Pleasant Colony), GISW Badal (Blame), and GI Pattison Canadian International S. winner Marsh Side (Gone West), MGISW & GISP, $2,360,853.  TJCIS PPs

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Second Chances: More Ammo for Leading Young Sire Gun Runner

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

Disarm (c, 2, Gun Runner–Easy Tap, by Tapit) turned it on nicely in the stretch to report home an encouraging third on debut at Churchill Downs June 19.

The chestnut's worktab, dating back to late March, was led by a four-furlong bullet in :46 4/5 (1/28) at Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen's Louisville base June 6.

Outfooted early and under a ride in eighth through an opening quarter in :22.82, the 5-2 second-choice began to gain some momentum approaching quarter pole and was guided out five wide at the top of the stretch.

Receiving a steady dose of left-handers from Tyler Gaffalione down the lane, Disarm began to roll down the center despite attempting to get in. Nearly running on heels late, he was wrapped up approaching the shadow of the wire to finish two lengths adrift favored firster and $325,000 OBS April graduate Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) in the 5 1/2-furlong affair.

Disarm, a homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, earned a 66 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“Going into the race, it was kinda like one of those, 'We like him at 5 1/2 [furlongs], but we'd love him at a mile' kind of things,” said David Fiske, longtime advisor to the Winchell family.

“He didn't get the typical 'Laredo leap' leaving the gate. The way Steve [Asmussen]'s father schools those 2-year-olds down there, they tend to break pretty alertly and he was a little flat-footed that day. He was still running at the end and that probably wasn't his optimum distance.”

The Gun Runner over Tapit cross–two of the best to ever carry the maroon-and-white Winchell silks–is already responsible for last term's GII Adirondack S. heroine Wicked Halo, promising unbeaten Monomoy Girl S. winner Society and Texas Turf Mile S. winner Red Run.

Last year's record-setting freshman sire Gun Runner is represented by five top-level winners, including champion Echo Zulu and GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting.

Disarm's dam Easy Tap–a $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling purchase–won one of five starts for the Winchells and Asmussen. The 12-year-old has produced Tap Daddy (Scat Daddy), a winner of Pimlico's James W. Murphy S. and runner-up in the GIII Dixiana Bourbon S. for these same connections. He was also a champion stayer in Venezuela after being sold privately. Easy Tap is also responsible for the multiple stakes-placed Total Tap (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a Gun Runner colt of this year.

As for Disarm, Fiske concluded, “He's a great-looking horse. Steve [Asmussen] was taking him out during Derby week and showing him off to press guys. He thought this was the best-looking horse he had in the barn, so he paraded him around. He likes him quite a bit. I think he's got plenty of talent.”

The 'Second Chances' honor roll is headed by two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner and Lane's End stallion Honor A. P. (Honor Code) and MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags).

This term's GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), GIII Westchester S. winner Cody's Wish (Curlin), GI Preakness S. third-place finisher Creative Minister (Creative Cause), streaking Cinema S. winner War At Sea (War Front) and next out 'TDN Rising Star' Artorius (Arrogate) have also been featured in the series.

Other standouts include: GSW Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), GSW & MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}); and GISP A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo).

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