Grade 1 winner Verrazano successfully navigated his return to the races, absolutely dominating the $150,000 Pegasus S. (G3) at Monmouth on Sunday, June 16th.
The 3-year-old by More Than Ready bolstered his lifetime record to 5 wins in 6 starts, and earnings of $951,300 with the victory.
Last seen in the slop at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, trainer Todd Pletcher had Verrazano primed for the Pegasus. Breaking alertly under red-hot riderJohn Velazquez, the 2-5 favorite opened a clear lead early and increased with every stride, hitting the wire the easiest kind of winner, by 8 or 10 lengths. Final time for 1 1/16 miles on the fast surface was 1:41.72.
Bred in Kentucky by Emory Hamilton and racing for a partnership of Let’s Go Stable, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, Verrazano already won the Wood Memorial (G1) and Tampa Bay Derby (G2) earlier this season.
More Than Ready has sired 10 individual stakes winners since Feb. 23, four in the U.S., one in Europe, and five in Australia. The Champion Sire ranks 12th among all North American sires to date this year.
