NEWS
Fed Biz jumps on Triple Crown trail with allowance victory
Posted: Thursday, February 09, 2012 6:08 PM
FED BIZ WINS ALLOWANCE RACE
Benoit & Associates photo
Kaleem Shah’s Fed Biz declared his fitness for the Triple Crown chase on Thursday at Santa Anita Park as he rolled to a 5 ¾-length victory in a one-mile optional claiming race.
Trained by Bob Baffert, the Giant’s Causeway colt tracked the pace set by Consulado before seizing a clear lead in early stretch. Once in front, Fed Biz cruised to a facile win. The bay colt covered one mile on a track rated as fast in 1:34.74 under jockey Rafael Bejarano as the 7-to-10 favorite.
“He’s still a little green,” said Baffert. “When he hit the top of the stretch, he had his ears up and he didn’t switch leads until real late. I’m glad I got a race into him. That’s part of the process. You know he has the pedigree, and he has a lot of just natural talent.”
It was the second victory in three career starts for Fed Biz. He entered the race off a 1¾-length win in a one-mile special weight race on December 30 at Santa Anita. He opened his career with a fourth-place finish, beaten 2 ½ lengths, on in a six-furlong race at Hollywood Park.
“He repeated that race, and he’s going to improve a lot more,” Bejarano said on Thursday. “Today, he was more comfortable and he showed me more kick in the stretch. He won very easy. I had so much horse to stay close (to the pace). I knew the time was kind of fast, but I had so much horse, he was just galloping.”
Bred by Colts Neck Stables in Kentucky, Fed Biz is one of three winners from four starters out the stakes-winning Wild Again mare Spunoutacontrol, a half sister to Grade 2 winner and sire Tale of the Cat and Myth, dam of champion and sire Johannesburg.
Fed Biz was a $950,000 purchase by Shah from the consignment of Lane’s End, agent, at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale.
