Fiesty Fist First Black-Type Winner for Iron Fist

Whispering Oaks Farm's homebred Fiesty Fist rewarded freshman stallion Iron Fist with a first black-type winner by getting up to capture the $60,000 D. S. Shine Young Futurity for 2-year-old Louisiana-bred colts and geldings Sept. 18 at Evangeline Downs. The juvenile gelding was also his sire's first winner in his May 20 debut at Evangeline. A 24-1 longshot, Fiesty Fist was fourth early in the 5 1/2-furlong event but caught pace-setting True Deal by a half-length at the wire. Ridden by Kevin Smith, he completed the distance on the muddy, sealed track in 1:05.39. Fiesty Fist is trained by Steven Flint and is now 2-for-3 with earnings of $50,400. Bred by Whispering Oaks' Carrol Castille, he is out of the Roman Ruler mare Sheza Roman Ruler. Iron Fist, a 9-year-old son of Tapit, placed in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G2) early in his race career for Regis Racing and Stonestreet Stables. In 2017 at age 5, he was privately purchased mid-season and kept in training with Steve Asmussen. For his new owner, he won the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Stakes (G3) plus three more black-type events before retiring. He earned $1,104,199 throughout his career and had a 9-5-4 record in 24 starts. Whispering Oaks has stood Iron Fist at its Carencro, La., farm since 2018 for an advertised fee of $6,500.