Nothing seems to come easy for Performer.
It was in the summer of 2019 that Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm's son of Speightstown started a string of three straight wins in maiden and allowance races for trainer Shug McGaughey to become a hot topic of discussion in the summer and fall of his 3-year-old year.
The chatter increased noticeably when the patiently handled colt captured the Nov. 30 Discovery Stakes (G3), which appeared to open a door to a big-time 4-year-old campaign.
But his seasonal debut was delayed when the Carter Handicap (G1) was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then an ankle injury sidelined him until a quick, eye-opening Oct. 17 allowance optional claiming win.
The Dec. 5 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) appeared to be the spot where Performer would make up for lost time, but the combination of a wet track and sluggish start led to a disappointing third-place as a 4-5 favorite that snapped a five-race winning streak.
The win streak resumed Jan. 23, though it was anything but a stroll in the park.
Bet down to a 4-5 favorite, Performer ($3.80) came to life down the stretch for jockey Joel Rosario and wore down a determined Eye of a Jedi to prevail by a hard-fought neck in the $125,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3), the first of seven graded stakes on Pegasus World Cup Series Day at Gulfstream Park.
"I thought he ran fine," McGaughey said. "When he got to the horse on the lead, it looked like he wanted to hang with him a little bit, but he was able to outfinish him, so I'm glad he got it over with and we got another win into him."
Though McGaughey did not specify what's next for the 5-year-old, a race longer than the one-turn, mile Hooper is in the cards for the winner of six of eight starts with earnings of $400,675.
"I need to stretch him out," he said. "I thought he was a little more one-paced today, which happens with older horses. They lose some of their quickness."
Bred by Phipps Stable, Performer is out of the A.P. Indy mare Protesting. He is the most recent foal from his dam and a half-brother to the stakes-winning Breaking the Rules, a Pegasus World Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) competitor.
Shivaree and Dream Maker vied for the early in the Hooper through a half-mile in :47.23, but faded leaving the quarter pole. Owner-trainer Steve Budhoo's Eye of a Jedi and Performer moved together turning for home, with Eye of a Jedi, a son of Eye of the Leopard, splitting horses in the two path while Performer rallied widest in the four path.
Eye of a Jedi, a 13-1 shot, grabbed a short lead at the eighth pole and Performer needed the final 70 yards to finally catch him in 1:35.49 for the mile.
Avant Garde, a Tonalist gelding owned by Gelfenstein Farm and trained by Gustavo Delgado, was 1 1/4 lengths back in third.
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