Fearless fires off the bench in Gulfstream Park Mile

When Fearless was led out of the sales ring last summer after failing to meet his reserve at the Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age Sale, it would prove a blessing in disguise for co-owner WinStar Farm. On Saturday, the five-year-old gelding won his first start since June while handing odds-on favorite Performer a solid defeat in the WinStar-sponsored $200,000 Gulfstream Park Mile (G2).

Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Fearless raced in close attendance to Performer as Wind of Charge enjoyed a significant early advantage while setting fractions of :23.60 and :46.57. Fearless bid for the lead around the far turn while Performer struggled to pick up, opened up a length advantage passing the quarter pole, and held on to beat the closing Avant Garde by three parts of a length with Performer two lengths farther back in third.

"Our biggest concern was that in his last couple starts he dropped back. We were hoping that being fresh that he'd put himself into the race a little bit," Pletcher said. "He broke well and got in a good stalking position. He was forward from there and kicked on and ran like we hoped he would."

Co-owned with WinStar by CHC Inc. and trained by Todd Pletcher, Fearless paid $7.60 after covering the one-turn distance over a fast track in 1:35.61. Completing the order of finish were Eye of a Jedi, Phat Man, and Wind of Change.

This was the fourth win in seven starts for Fearless, a five-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper. Opening his career with back-to-back wins at Gulfstream during the winter of 2019-20, Fearless was subsequently placed fifth in the New Orleans Classic (G2) when optimistically favored in his stakes debut. He won one of his next two outings in allowance company, but again disappointed stepping up to stakes company in the Stephen Foster (G2) by finishing a distant sixth in his most recent start on June 27.

"Our biggest concern was that in his last couple starts he dropped back. We were hoping that being fresh that he'd put himself into the race a little bit," Pletcher said. "He broke well and got in a good stalking position. He was forward from there and kicked on and ran like we hoped he would."

Consigned to the aforementioned Fasig-Tipton sale, Fearless failed to meet his reserve with a final bid coming in at $120,000. His record now stands at 7-4-1-0, $246,280.

Bred in Kentucky by the Helen Groves Revocable Trust, Fearless was produced by the Grade 2-placed And Why Not, by Street Cry. She's also reared the stakes-winning Just Whistle.