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Gio Ponti gets up in time in Man o' War
Dominguez, who elected to steer Gio Ponti between horses instead of taking the overland route, got the split he needed, and his classy mount took care of business. The reigning champion cut down Mission Approved to win going away by a neck, completing 1 3/8 miles in 2:16 1/5 and returning $2.80, $2.30 and $2.10. "I was a little concerned about the way the race was going to unfold," Dominguez said. "I knew there wasn't a whole lot of speed, and that there were a lot of horses with similar running styles to mine. As the race unfolded, I was a little concerned about the slow pace, but I was very happy with the way he was traveling. "Turning for home, I felt it was a matter of getting a little racing luck. When he split horses, at that point, I felt a little more confident, and that he would get there. The five horse (Mission Approved) ran an excellent race. I am very happy, not only for myself but for the horse." "The grass is green, and even greener now!" Clement enthused. "I'm delighted with Gio Ponti. Everyone made a big deal of him getting beaten the last time, (but) I never had a doubt that the horse was the leader of his division, and I'm delighted with the way he ran today. The race was completely against him; they walked in front, he was last, but he's good enough to be versatile and win the race." Gio Ponti joins Majesty's Prince (1983-84), Solar Splendor (1991-92) and With Anticipation (2001-02) on the honor roll of two-time Man o' War heroes. Mission Approved, by far the longest shot on the board, ran a superb race in his first start off the claim for Naipaul Chatterpaul. The pacesetter rewarded his backers with $17.80 and $2.10 and capped the $66.50 exacta. "I thought he was a really nice horse, and he showed it today," Chatterpaul said. "We ran him long where he could have an easy lead. I thought we had him, but Gio Ponti is a great horse. I couldn't ask for anything else." Expansion (Maria's Mon) closed for third, another half-length back, and furnished $2.80 to show as the 6-1 second choice. The trifecta was worth $252.50, and with the nearly 19-1 Bearpath (Dynaformer) getting up for fourth, the 8-5-4-2 superfecta totaled $1,524.00. Midnite Silver (Silver Deputy), Interpatation (Langfuhr), Grand Couturier (GB) (Grand Lodge) and Strike a Deal (Smart Strike) rounded out the order of finish. Gio Ponti's scorecard now reads 20-10-6-0, and his bankroll has swelled to $4,123,800. In 2009, he was honored with two Eclipse Awards. He earned champion turf horse honors on the strength of four straight wins in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1), Manhattan, Man o' War and Arlington Million. By taking runner-up honors behind the sublime Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride, Gio Ponti garnered the champion older horse title as well. Over the course of his exceptional career, Gio Ponti has recorded a total of nine stakes wins and six stakes placings. At two, he captured the 2007 Bourbon S. at Keeneland prior to a badly-troubled eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Gio Ponti added to his haul as a sophomore, scoring victories in the 2008 Virginia Derby (G2), Hill Prince S. (G3) and Sir Beaufort S. (G3), the latter in his synthetic debut. He also finished second in the Del Mar Derby (G2) and Jamaica H. (G2) during that campaign. Bred by Kilboy Estate in Kentucky, Gio Ponti is out of the stakes-placed Chipeta Springs (Alydar), making him a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Bon Jovi Girl (Malibu Moon), third in last year's Gazelle S. (G1), and stakes victor Fisher Pond (A.P. Indy). Chipeta Springs' latest offspring are both by Bernstein, an unnamed yearling filly and a 2010 colt. Gio Ponti's second dam is Argentinean Group 1 queen Salt Spring (Arg) (Salt Marsh). This is the family of Grade 1 victor Mongoose (Broad Brush), Grade 3 scorers Hesanoldsalt (Broad Brush) and Puxa Saco (Dehere), and further back, two-time Horse of the Year Cigar (Palace Music). Clement indicated that Gio Ponti could attempt a title defense in the August 21 Arlington Million, or switch to Del Mar's Polytrack for the August 28 Pacific Classic (G1). "Now we can enjoy it (his Man o' War victory) a little bit, see how he comes out of it," Clement said. "His well-being is the main thing. As long as the horse is doing well, we'll be back in one of those two races."
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