Returning to racing action for the first time since winning the March 29 Florida Derby (G1), Tappan Street scored a workmanlike comeback victory in a second-level allowance optional claiming race Dec. 19 at Gulfstream Park.
Sidelined with a condylar fracture in his right front leg that caused him to miss the Kentucky Derby (G1) in early May and most of his 3-year-old season, Tappan Street was backed to 1-10 favoritism for Friday's mile race against five seemingly outclassed rivals. But they put up a fight, particularly front-runner and eventual runner-up Steppe, who led for 7 furlongs of the one-turn race before a pace-pressing Tappan Street wore him down to prevail by a length under Irad Ortiz Jr.
The winner, who came under pressure from Ortiz beginning on the second turn, was clocked in 1:36.22 on a fast track following splits of :23.56, :46.55, 1:10.59, and 1:23.28 set by Steppe. Tappan Street paid $2.20 to win.
"Once I started working on him, he kept coming at the end, so that was nice," Ortiz said.
The Brad Cox trainee improved to 3-1-0 in four starts with his victory. The 3-year-old bay son of Into Mischief out of the Distorted Humor mare Virginia Key earned $27,000 in Friday's $45,000 race to increase his bankroll to $670,400 for owners WinStar Farm, CHC, and Cold Press Racing. Siena Farm, CHC, and Maverick Racing, a buying arm of WinStar Farm, acquired the Blue Heaven Farm-bred colt in 2023 at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale from the St. George consignment for $1 million.
"Good effort, workmanlike, but kind of what we expected based on what we saw of him in his first three runs. It's not as if he always gallops up to the top of the lane and wins under a hammerlock or anything," Cox said. "He's a good horse, and I thought it was a good comeback race. It's a two-other-than—that's what he's eligible for—and off that long layoff, I felt like it was the right move for him at this stage in his career. Happy with his performance."
His pedigree, conformation, and racing accomplishments make him a valuable stallion prospect when his racing career comes to a conclusion.
Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm's president/CEO and racing manager, was on-site for Friday's victory.
Friday's race served as a prep for Tappan Street's return to stakes company. One stakes option is $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 24. That race is over the same conditions as the Florida Derby: 1 1/8 miles on the Gulfstream Park main track.
"We'll get him back to the top level. We'll look at the Pegasus and see how he comes out," Walden said. "The timing of this was to take a look at that and see what it looks like."
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