by Tom Musgrave

Italian Group 1 winner Sudan (Ire) executed a dominant front-running performance on Saturday, easily winning the $100,000 Golden Gate Fields Stakes (G3) by four lengths to earn his first North American win.

Sent off as the 1.30-to-1 favorite, the five-year-old Peintre Celebre horse went right to the front in the 1 3/8-mile turf race, running a half-mile in :49 and completing six furlongs in a leisurely 1:14.04 with a three-length lead.

Sudan opened a seven-length lead under jockey David Flores through one mile in 1:38.73 and cruised to victory in 2:16.86 on firm turf.

Fitz Flag powered past Uffizi and We Brothers in the stretch to finish second.  Uffizi finished another length back in third.

Trained by Bobby Frankel for owner Gary Tanaka, Sudan entered the Golden Gate Fields Stakes off a third-place finish in the Jim Murray Memorial Handicap (G2) on May 10 at Hollywood Park. The win was Sudan's third in 15 starts, including a score in the 2007 Gran Premio di Milano (Ity-G1). He has earned $451,323.

Bred in Ireland by Dayton Investments Ltd., Sudan is out of the Woodman mare Sarabande.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Tom Musgrave is internet content editor of Thoroughbred Times