Newsdad just misses track record in Pan American

Newsdad proved best in near track record time in just his third start in two years (Leslie Martin/Adam Coglianese Photography) James S. Karp’s Newsdad returned to the winner’s circle in stellar fashion on Saturday, taking the Grade 2, $200,000 Pan American at Gulfstream Park in a final time of 2:22.77 to just miss the 2:22.63 track record for 1 1/2 miles on the turf set by Twilight Eclipse a year ago in this same race. The six-year-old son of Arch finished third behind Twilight Eclipse in last season’s Pan American, and has made just one start since, running seventh in an optional claimer on March 1. That didn’t deter trainer Bill Mott from entering his dark bay charge in Saturday’s contest, and jockey Joel Rosario settled Newsdad in the rear of the 10-horse field as Joes Blazing Aaron led the way. The pacesetter was never really challenged until reaching the final turn, when the tracking Joha put in his move as Slumber rallied on the outside. Newsdad also came flying on the outside while Vertiformer was trying to squeeze his way through along the rail. When the finish line photo was snapped, Newsdad was crowned the winner over a tough-luck Vertiformer, while fellow Mott trainee Slumber and Joes Blazing Aaron filled out the superfecta.

“At the sixteenth pole, it looked like anything could
happen,” Mott said. “It was a good race.”

“They went a little quick early and he’s a big horse and
broke a little slow,” Rosario explained. “I just let him sit in behind horses
and hoped he had something turning for home and he did.”

Newsdad paid $12.60 as the 5-1 fourth pick in the field. Vertiformer was just
a neck behind and following the top four under the wire were Charming Kitten,
Joha, Admiral Kitten, Suntracer, Ocean Seven and Russian Greek. Amira’s Prince
was scratched.

Newsdad is now 6-2-4 from 23 lifetime starts and has banked $619,085 in his
career. The Kentucky-bred has raced just three times now since October 2012 when
he captured the Fayette at Keeneland. His only other stakes win came in that
same year’s Pan American, and the dark bay boasts four stakes placings.

“He likes to skip a year,” Mott said. “I wasn’t really
confident (about this race). I thought he might run well. He’s had a long
layoff, and this was only his second start back. I wasn’t sure if he was totally
there yet. But he fired well today.”

Mott was also surprised by the way Newsdad won. The horse
was far back early on, sitting in 10th before closing.

“We thought we’d probably be laying a little bit closer,” Mott noted. “I knew
the horses that had speed. Of course, I took the blinkers off this horse and it
probably caused him to relax a little bit more in the first part of it.

“We’ve always thought well of him,” Mott added. “I was going
to go to Keeneland and run him in the Fayette again, but that only gives him
three weeks rest. He’s a pretty special horse on the synthetic surface.”

Newsdad was entered in the 2009 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but RNAed
for $32,000. He is the only stakes winner out of the unraced Pulpit mare Storm
Tracer, who is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes scorer Field Cat and
stakes victor Estevan. Farther back this female family boasts classic-placed top
sire Naskra and 1975 champion Wajima.

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