Gary Tanaka’s SUDAN (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) had yet to brandish his Group
1-winning European form in two U.S. starts, but the Bobby Frankel charge looked
determined to set things right with a vengeance in Saturday’s $100,000
Golden
Gate Fields Turf S. (G3). Sprinting straight to the early lead beneath David
Flores, Sudan carved out splits of :24 3/5, :49, 1:14 and 1:38 3/5 while
widening his advantage to as many as seven lengths. The chestnut was never
remotely threatened in the stretch, eventually slamming his rivals by four
lengths in a final time of 2:16 4/5 for 1 3/8 miles on firm turf. The 6-5
favorite furnished mutuels of $4.60, $3.40 and $2.10 and spearheaded the $1
exotics worth $12.30 (exacta), $23.10 (trifecta) and $48.80 (3-8-2-6 superfecta).
Fitz Flag (Arg) (Flag Down) closed from far back to grab second by one
length, paying $4.40 and $2.20 at 4-1. Uffizi (El Prado [Ire]), who left the
gate as the 3-2 second choice, ran evenly in third and gave back $2.10. Fire
Wood (Woodman) was another two lengths away in fourth, with Amazin Blue (Marquetry)
in fifth and We Brothers (Royal Academy) a tailed-off last. Top This and That
(Old Topper) was withdrawn, along with expected pacesetter Plug Me In (Hold for
Gold), whose absence opened the door for Sudan’s front-running display.
Sudan improved his scorecard to 15-3-2-4, $451,323. First based in France
with trainer Elie Lellouche, the Irish-bred placed in five stakes events in
2006, including when he chased home eventual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1)
hero Rail Link in the Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-G1), Prix Niel (Gr-G2) and Prix du
Lys (Fr-G3). As a four-year-old last season, Sudan managed to bag his first
stakes victory with a hard-fought, photo-finish decision in the Gran Premio di
Milano (Ity-G1). In his American bow in February, Sudan was a disappointing last
of eight in the San Luis Obispo H. (G2), and he was most recently a distant
third in the Jim Murray Memorial H. (G2).
Bred by Dayton Investments Ltd. in the Emerald Isle, Sudan is out of the
winning Woodman mare Sarabande, and he has an unraced juvenile half-brother
named Shishkin (Dalakhani). His second dam, Special Happening (Relaunch), won
the 1987 Alcibiades S. (G2) and placed second in the Arlington-Washington Lassie
S. (G1), third in the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Fillies (G1).