Speightstown’s speedy sprinter Sum of the Parts became the first horse in over 30 years to record consecutive victories with a win Friday in Keeneland’s $200,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. (G3), earning the colt an automatic berth into the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Xpressbet Sprint (G1) next month at Santa Anita Park.
Sum of the Parts, whose last stakes win came in the 2012 Phoenix, is one of 18 stakes winners by 2013’s leading sire Speightstown. The WinStar stallion is also the only North American sire with more than $9 million in progeny earnings to date this year.
As expected, Sum of the Parts went right to the front in the six-furlong Phoenix. Leandro Goncalves doled out the 4-year-old colt’s speed, getting the half-mile in a quick :45.57. Goncalves shook his mount up at the head of the lane, and Sum of the Parts widened his half-length lead to 1 1/4-lengths when he crossed the finish line. The final time was 1:09.56.
“He’s very fast, he’s very sharp coming out of the gate,” said Goncalves. “By the first jump, second jump, I was already clear of everybody else so I just dropped in and got him to relax. That was the plan and it worked out pretty good today.”
“I told the group I was with, ‘This the most athletic horse I’ve trained. He’s the quickest horse I’ve ever trained out of the gate.’ He really showed that today. All the credit goes to the horse,” said trainer Tom Amoss, who added that he would talk to the owners, but he is in favor of going to California for the Breeders’ Cup.
The victory was worth $120,000 and increased Sum of the Parts’ earnings to $716,513 for his co-owners Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence.
