The Peter Pan (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
May 11, 2024

Gaslight could have run in the KYD last week, as he would have had enough points to get in as an also eligible ahead of Fun Runner. However, his trainer, Mb Stables, cannot have more than three horses in the race, so the gelding was instead sent here to AQU for The Peter Pan. He would be our second choice, as 23/1 longshot Sound Wave was our pick and did end up placing third. After finishing second here in the Wood Memorial, Gaslight was in familiar territory and on a track that he knew he could have success with. Last month, he went out on the lead and tried to hang on but was denied by Fujisan. That one was not here to spoil the party on this day and Gaslight went wire to wire for the win! He is trained by Mb Stables, who can now check this race off the few that he had never won yet. J R Velazquez is a two-time winner, having previously won in 2019 with Brady Is A Lady. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:47.85, which would be a stake record, but all of the previous editions came at BEL so the comparison would be a bit unfair. Let’s take a look at it now:

(½ Mile- :47.00)- The eventual winner, Gaslight, goes right out to the lead for Mb Stables, but he will not be alone. Breaking well from the outside was Sound Wave, trained by Fractious, and these two would pull away from the rest of the field. After half a mile, they were side by side with Gaslight having a nose in front. Two lengths behind them, we have a group of four, with the outside horse, Capiche, having a slight upper hand for Fractious. Charmless Man, in his debut for Riggins Racing is next, with the D J C Racing Stables pair of Samus and Kings Angel running right there with them. It’s a break of two more to Sick Boi (Night Mare Racing), who is a length ahead of Rumble Red (Luz International). Redeemer (Avenue Z) is next, ahead of China Syndrome (Night Rider Stables), Gold Vault (Fractious), and Inviting (Mb Stables).

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.01)- Completing the trip down the backstretch and moving into the turn, Gaslight and Sound Wave are still running at the front of the pack, with Gaslight leading by half a length. The alignment of horses after them is still much the same, with the group of four horses two lengths back still there. Capiche is still a bit ahead of Charmless Man, with Samus and Kings Angel right there. It’s two lengths back to Sick Boi, who leads the rest of the pack around the turn.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- During the second half of the turn, Gaslight showed his stretch and would win the battle with Sound Wave. Entering the top of the stretch, Gaslight had put the longshot away by length, and J R Velazquez would look over his shoulder to see if anyone else was making a bid. For the moment, it did not seem as though any of those that were closest to him were making a push as both Capiche and Charmless Man were simply remaining level with the leader. Kings Angel and Samus were lacking response, but on the outside, China Syndrome, was moving forward quickly from near the back. Redeemer was showing some interest, moving to the outside of Sick Boi. Rumble Red was lacking response. Gold Vault wasn’t showing much but had room on the rail, while at the back, Inviting lagged behind.

(Finish- 1:47.85)- Gaslight is in control of this race in the stretch and does not show any signs of slowing down early on. It would take a tremendous effort for anyone to snatch the win away from him, but China Syndrome made a go of it from the outside. While that run was strong, all it would really do was lock in second place for him as Gaslight had too much of a cushion in the stretch to be caught. It ends up being closer than it seemed like it might, with China Syndrome getting within half a length, so with a little more distance, it could have been pretty interesting. Give credit to China Syndrome, a lightly raced horse who was making his stake debut, but this day would belong to Gaslight. It was a length and a half to third place Sound Wave, and a half-length to a fourth-place dead heat between Charmless Man and Capiche. The rest of the order will read Sick Boi, Redeemer, Gold Vault, Kings Angel, Rumble Red, Samus, and Inviting.

About The Winner- Gaslight, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by J R Velazquez, is a three-year-old gelding by No Doubt About It and is out of Talk Of The North. He was bred in New York by Mb Stables as a second quarter two-year-old and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in seven starts, his second stake win and first graded win. His career earnings are now $384.000.

Track: Fast
Time: :47  1:11  1:35²  1:47⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 9 Paid 28.20
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 9 – 12 Paid 1,258.10

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES