Solitary Ranger stands out at Fair Grounds

Solitary Ranger, winner of last year’s Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity, made his 3-year-old debut Sunday at Fair Grounds with a front-running victory going one mile in a first-level allowance contest for 3-year-olds over a yielding turf course.

Trained by Wayne Catalano for Susan Moulton, Solitary Ranger got a crafty ride from Florent Geroux to control the pace early, then had plenty in reserve to hold off all his challengers by one length (VIDEO).

Bred in Kentucky by Richard Forbush and the U S Ranger Syndicate, Solitary Ranger is now 2-2-0 in five starts, with $134,743 in earnings. He is the leading earner for his sire, who stands for $5,000 and was one of only four 2013 first-crop stallions to sire a graded stakes winner.