Absolutely Zero ran to public's confidence, defeating the boys in Saturday's $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Futurity S. at Santa Anita.
The Reddam homebred raced under pressure from the get-go and held a narrow advantage as four of them lined up approaching the top of the stretch. She clearly had something left as they straightened for home and dug down gamely in the stretch to defeat stablemate Tahoma, the first winner for Triple Crown winner Justify, by a measured length. First-time starter Pure Fire, a $315,000 OBSMAR breezer, ran well to finish third.
“She's not the fastest horse out of the gate so today, she broke really well,” winning rider Mario Gutierrez said. “She broke with them, and I tried to maintain my position and find my way to keep her in there, she responded really well.
“She's very gutsy. She definitely is a fighter and showed big improvement. She can only get better. The fact that she's running with the boys, you know that's what is impressive about her right now, she's a really cool girl so I'm happy with her.”
Absolutely Zero delivered a professional victory as the heavy favorite while facing fillies on debut going 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita May 21.
The winner's dam How About Zero, a two-time stakes winner for Reddam and trainer Doug O'Neill, produced fillies by Pavel in 2021 and 2022.
FASIG-TIPTON FUTURITY, $102,000, Santa Anita, 6-18, 2yo, 5f, :59.09, ft.
1–ABSOLUTELY ZERO, 120, f, 2, by Nyquist
1st Dam: How About Zero (MSW, $349,640),
by Square Eddie
2nd Dam: Too Much Excess, by In Excess (Ire)
3rd Dam: Happy Michelle, by Meadowlake
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA); T-Doug F.
O'Neill; J-Mario Gutierrez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$112,260.
2–Tahoma, 123, c, 2, Justify–Madera Dancer, by Rahy.
($160,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-West Coast
Stables, LLC; B-Hunter Valley Farm, Fergus Galvin & Golden
Vale Farm (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $20,000.
3–Pure Fire, 119, c, 2, Practical Joke–Juliette Ava, by Medaglia
d'Oro. ($57,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $150,000 Ylg '21 SARAUG;
$315,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Talla Racing
LLC & West Point Thoroughbreds; B-Vallera Bloodstock (NY);
T-John W. Sadler. $12,000.
Margins: 1, HF, 1. Odds: 0.90, 3.40, 6.60.
Also Ran: Pop d'Oro, Salta, Castleknock, Midnight Lightning, Good N Thirsty, Smokem Howard.
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