1-5 favorite Verrazano brought his record to an unbeaten 2-for-2 when he drew off to win a one-mile allowance race on Saturday at Gulfstream Park by a spectacular 16 1/4 lengths, stamping himself as a highly promising Kentucky Derby contender in the process.
Ridden to victory by John Velazquez, Verrazano got off to a good start and quickly settled into second place as Gunderman led the way through fractions of :22.94 and :45.45 seconds. Eton Blue, Mr d'Oro, and Rossmoyne trailed the compact field.
Rounding the turn, Verrazano moved up to take command of the lead, running three-quarters of a mile in a very quick 1:09.98 in order to do so. And then just like, the race was over. Under a mere hand ride from Velazquez, Verrazano suddenly powered away from the rest of the field, pouring on speed throughout the homestretch to reach the finish line in the exceptional time of 1:34.80 seconds.
Eton Blue edged Gunderman by a neck for second, while Rossmoyne and Mr. d'Oro completed the order of finish.
Verrazano is a son of More Than Ready out of Enchanted Rock, by Giant's Causeway. Trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Let's Go Stable, Verrazano has now earned $51,300 and appears bound for a graded stakes race.
-Keelerman
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