Leading Fourth-Crop sire Paynter got his newest stakes winner on Sept. 5 when Harper’s First Ride swept past multiple stakes winner Cordmaker near the eighth pole and sprinted away to a 3 ¼-length win in the $100,000 Deputed Testamony at Laurel Park.
Under a well-judged ride by Angel Cruz, Harper’s First Ride let a pair of speedy front-runners duel for the lead early before going three wide with a quarter-mile to run. The eventual winner easily took command and drew off smartly to finish the 1 1/16-miles in 1:42.86 on a fast track.
“You can see how much he likes it here,” trainer Claudio Gonzalez said. “I can’t complain about the trip. He had a perfect trip. He broke good and Angel let the two horses go in front and moved at the right time. He did an excellent job.”
Harper’s First Ride has an excellent record of 7-1-1 in 13 starts and has earned $272,080 for MCA Racing Stable LLC.
Harper’s First Ride was bred by Sagamore Farm and is one of Paynters six stakes winners and 15 black type horses this year, both tops on the Fourth-Crop Sire list. He also leads by winners, with 117 and earnings of over $3.6 million.
