Fortified Effort and Foggia, the winners of November’s ATBA Fall Sales Stakes events, returned for their respective Arizona Breeders’ Futurity events on Dec. 9 at Turf Paradise, meeting different outcomes as odds-on favorites of their races.
Trapped behind horses until well into the stretch, Fortified Effort turned in a strong victory in the Colt and Gelding division, driving home as clearly best once he got an opening. The Ez Effort gelding won by a length over Oldtoytrain for trainer Kevin Eikleberry and an ownership group consisting of Eikleberry, J. Lloyd Yother, William Matthews and Marvin Fleming. The final time for six furlongs was 1:10.60.
Foggia, unbeaten in two previous starts, took a daylight lead almost to the wire of the Filly division but Myrcella, only third when the pair met last month, unleashed a rocket-force late run that saw her mow down the 1-5 favorite to win by a half-length. Molly Pearson trains the daughter of Tribal Rule, who is owned by Pearson and Regan Anderson. The filly division was a bit quicker: 1:10.53 for six furlongs.
It capped off a big double for Fleming Thoroughbred Farm, breeder of both Arizona Breeders’ Futurity events.
The Arizona Breeders’ Futurity day card also featured the Cactus Wren, a six and a half-furlong race for Arizona-breds or ATBA sale graduates. Five-year-old Shrewd Move justified his odds-on support by proving much the best, with the 3-year-olds in the field, Yo Y Me and Sedona Sunrise, in closest pursuit as he won by four and a quarter lengths. Dan McFarlane trains for Yeaman’s Racing Stables LLC, which bred the gelded son of Closing Argument with Peggy Hopwood in Kentucky. The final time was 1:15.89.
The Cactus Flower, a filly-and-mare counterpart to the Cactus Wren, was originally scheduled for Dec. 9 but is to be rescheduled.
Arizona Breeders’ Futurity (Fillies)
Arizona Breeders’ Futurity (Colts)
Cactus Wren
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