Flagstaff moved from the rail path to the middle of the track in upper stretch to start his winning rally in Saturday’s $200,000 Commonwealth S. (G3) at Keeneland.
The victory was Flagstaff’s first stakes win since taking the San Carlos S. (G2) 13 months ago at Santa Anita Park. Overall the dark bay has won or placed in nine stakes and earned $703,285 for Lane’s End Racing and Hronis Racing LLC.
Flagstaff broke from post 1 in the field of seven making the seven-furlong trip. He held his spot along the fence a couple of lengths from the lead down the backstretch. He continued to hold his position around the turn and into the stretch, when Joel Rosario swung four-wide to make his run. Flagstaff responded willingly to strike the front with a sixteenth to go and win by 1 1/4-lengths in a swift 1:21.84 on the fast track.
“I was thinking (about) trying to get out at some point,” said Rosario. “With an inside post position I just had to be there. He broke really sharp and I was in a good spot, and I was just waiting to be in the clear when I could going forward.”
Flagstaff, a $475,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling, was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Farm. He is out of Indyan Giving, making a half-brother to 2018 champion 2-year-old male Game Winner.
Speightstown is currently ranked second on the 2021 General Sire list with over $6.4 million in progeny earnings. A top-five sire in 2020 as well, Speightstown is standing at WinStar this year for $90,000 S&N.
