Top Fortitude, a full brother to G2 winner Uh Oh Bango, joined the ranks of graded stakes winners by winning the G3 Lazaro Barrera at Santa Anita on May 10. An impressive maiden winner at 2, Top Fortitude had disappointed in his 3-year-old debut but rebounded with style to win the seven-furlong Lazaro Barrera in his third lifetime start, holding off Puerto Rican star Tonito M. by a length and a half in 1:22.98. Race favorite Kobe’s Back loomed large at the top of the stretch but faded to fourth at odds on. Top Fortitude was overlooked at 30-1 in the seven-horse field.

Owned and bred by Triple AAA Ranch, Top Fortitude is a son of Top Hit and remarkable broodmare French Debutante, and therefore a full brother not just to Uh Oh Bango but also to stakes winners French Hit and Top Debutante, and a half-brother to $500,000 winner EZ Dreamer. The colt is trained by Kory Owens and was ridden by Kayla Stra.