Fear The Cowboy's Pegasus World Cup run a family affair

Fear The Cowboy rose from humble beginnings to make a competitive stretch drive in the 2018 Pegasus World Cup, with his fourth-place finish the culmination of a bargain purchase by Alex Centofanti, the patriarch of a close-knit clan of six, most of whom are involved with the family’s racing ventures.

Fear The Cowboy, who went through the 2013 February Fasig-Tipton Mixed Sale as a short yearling, brought in just $1,500, and yet five years later he missed for third in the world's biggest race by just a half length, off at odds of 70-1. 

Centofanti’s father and uncle were involved with racing, but the native Venezuelan found initial success in the coffee industry before a chance meeting with trainer Sal Santoro. In 2010, the trainer convinced Centofanti to let him buy a few horses, and the stable grew from there.

The family eventually purchased acreage in Ocala, Fla., and built their farm with their own hands. Alex Centofanti wanted a haven for his horses, where each youngster could grow and learn at its own pace. When the horses need time off to recover from injury, or just need a vacation, they return to the farm. In the Centofantis' world, the horse comes first.

The eldest son, Raffaele Centofanti, manages roughly 20 horses that run in a combination of the family name and with partnerships. He said the family and their trainers are primarily interested in a horse’s conformation and their athleticism.

“We look at the horses with fresh eyes," Raffaele Centofanti said. "If I’ve seen the pedigree page in the catalog, it’s all over, I won’t look at the horse because I would have preconceived notions, and I don’t want to judge a horse.”  

The Centofantis are bargain basement shoppers. Their modus operandi is to buy inexpensive short yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton February Mixed Sale and take their time getting the horses to the track. Patience is the key to their success with horses that many buyers wouldn’t look at twice. 

Their first graded stakes winner, Rose to Gold, followed this formula. Purchased for $1,400, the daughter of Friends Lake earned $990,183 in 16 starts. At the end of her career, Rose to Gold returned to the Fasig-Tipton February Mixed Sale as a broodmare prospect. This time, she was the 2015 sales topper purchased by WinStar Farm for $450,000.  

Fear The Cowboy followed in the hoofprints of Rose to Gold. The big, heavy horse was given time to grow, and while maturing on the farm, gave indications of his talent. 

“We liked him at the farm -- gave him a lot of time," Raffaele Centofanti said. "It’s a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. But mostly hard work.”

Fear The Cowboy rewarded his owner’s hard work with a cool $1 million check for running fourth in the Pegasus World Cup.

During his five-year, 28-race career, Fear the Cowboy has journeyed to 13 racetracks, finishing in the money in 18 contests. The road warrior has compiled a 28-9-7-2 race record with earnings of $1,570,869.

So, what’s next for him?

“The horse won a place in our hearts," Centofanti said. "He’s been good to us, and when he’s ready (to stop racing), he’ll go to the farm and meet a few mares. He deserves that. He’s given so much to us. He won a ticket to vacation.”