Fantastico Roberto All the Way in Choice
Fantastico Roberto took his foes wire-to-wire in the $100,000 Choice Stakes at Monmouth Park on Monday.
Fantastico Roberto took the course right from the start of the Choice Stakes and never looked back, winning by 3 ¼ lengths in 1:47 1/5 for the mile and an eighth over firm turf.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Fantastico Roberto paid $6.40, $4 and $2.80 as the favorite in the field of six 3-year-old-old colts and geldings. They Call Me Giant rallied to complete the $29.80 exacta and paid $3.80 and $3. Devon Rock was another neck back in third, good for a $3.20 show price.
“We planned to sit close to the pace, but he took me right to the lead out of the gate,” said winning jockey John Velazquez. “I tried to get him to relax as much as I could down the backside and he did for a bit, but as soon as the horses came back to us, he was right back in the bridle. We came to the 3/8ths pole and I was very confident. I thought he had a lot of horse and he just gave the answer I was looking for when I asked him.”
A son of Refuse to Bend from the Fantastic Light mare Fantastic Account, Fantastico Roberto earned his first stakes victory in the Choice and his first trip to the winner’s circle since taking his debut and subsequent start in Italy back in 2009. He now boasts a record of 3-2-1 from seven starts and earnings of $136,312 for owner Team Valor International.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park
on Friday, July 9, for the first of three twilight cards. Gates open at 11:30
a.m. * post time 2:10 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week
for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.