Prior to this afternoon, Gio Ponti had not won a race since taking the 2010 Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. I) in sharp fashion. A return to that race yielded identical results this year, as Gio Ponti rallied furiously in the final sixteenth to win the Shadwell Turf Mile for the second straight year.
Ridden by Ramon Dominguez, Gio Ponti settled into the fourth spot early on as Sidney's Candy raced away to an uncontested lead through fractions of :23.63 and :47.08. Get Stormy was tracking him in second, followed by Wise Dan. The three-year-old European invader Zoffany, sent off as the second choice, was well off of the pace.
Entering the homestretch, Sidney's Candy still had the lead through three-quarters in 1:10.91. But Get Stormy was up on the outside to challenged, as was Wise Dan. Gio Ponti was trapped down on the rail in a pocket without racing room.
But in the final 110 yards of the race, Gio Ponti showed why he is a three-time Eclipse award winner. Bulling his way out of the pocket, he set his sights on the leaders in front of him and simply exploded. In a matter of strides, he turned a nearly impossible situation into a brilliantly, narrow victory in a sharp 1:34.17.
Get Stormy edged out Sidney's Candy for second, while Wise Dan finished fourth.
-Keelerman
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