Growth Equity wins Peter Pan in stakes debut

A four-length maiden winner in mid-March, Klaravich Stables’ Growth Equity stretched to two turns and made his first stakes attempt a winning one in Saturday’s $194,000 Peter Pan (G3), recording a two-length decision in the Belmont at Aqueduct feature. Flavien Prat picked up the mount on the bay three-year-old colt for Chad Brown.

Previously a local prep for the Belmont (G1), the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan is eligible to provide runners for this year’s Belmont at Saratoga (the final leg of Triple Crown will move back to newly built Belmont Park in 2027). Arcangelo, who went on to be named champion three-year-old male, is the last horse to complete the sweep, winning both races at Belmont 2023.

Growth Equity would face a serious class check in the June 6 Belmont, but the son of Nyquist will bring improving form to whatever race connections target. 

Off as even-money favorite Saturday, Growth Equity raced up close when breaking his maiden over a one-turn mile at Aqueduct but switched to rating tactics in the Peter Pan, settling a few lengths behind pacesetter Talk to Me Jimmy, who comfortably showed the way on clear lead before coming under pressure nearing the completion of the far turn. Growth Equity advanced wide on the bend and collared Talk to Me Jimmy while straightening to the stretch, driving to a short lead, and went to easily prove best in the five-horse field.

“He got a nice education today by rating and losing plenty of ground on the final turn where he needed to be to go around those two horses,” Brown said. “He went a bit further than a mile and an eighth today and he did it well. He looked a winner every step of the way. All that was a real positive for him today and he probably ran a lifetime figure again, so this will be a fourth race with a new improvement. A horse that has a pattern like that the first four starts, that keeps getting faster on numbers – you have to like that.”

Growth Equity finished second when making his career debut at Saratoga last summer and filled the same spot when returning at Gulfstream Park earlier this year, improving his overall record to 4-2-2-0 in the Peter Pan. He was timed in 1:50.25. 

“Good set-up, very handy horse, gave me a good run when I asked him,” Prat said of his trip. "I thought there would be a couple horses in front of me. Going a mile and an eighth for the first time, I wanted to save ground a bit. I was happy where I was going down the backside, and I was able to get him in the clear. I felt like I was traveling well.”

Withers (G3) winner Talk to Me Jimmy, the 2-1 second choice following an eighth in the Wood Memorial (G2), held second by 3 1/4 lengths over last-out Lexington (G3) upsetter Trendsetter, who made little impact from off the pace. Guffy and Azam came next under the wire.

Bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm (Arthur B. Hancock III), Growth Equity by purchased by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables for $425,000 at a yearling at the 2024 Keeneland September sale. He’s the first stakes winner out of Grade 3-placed My Dear Venezuela, a daughter of Wildcat Heir.

“I was cautiously optimistic he would handle a mile and an eighth,” Brown said of Saturday’s stretch out in distance. “Looking at him, he’s not a very big horse – he didn’t grow a whole lot since I bought him, but he always moves really well, especially in his gallop outs and his works. Overall, he’s a very athletic horse and very well made. I was hopeful with his athleticism and with his sire (Nyquist) on top that can get route horses that he would be able to do it and he handled the mile and an eighth well.”

But Brown won’t commit to the Belmont yet.

“I’ll talk to (Seth),” Brown said. “Talking to Flavien, he wasn’t against more ground. We need to unpack it a bit later on. It’s tough to say - he handled the mile and an eighth well. That other horse seemed like he was hanging in there with him. They were both running away from the field. He didn’t scream to me like he wanted more ground after this, so I’m not sure I’m in a hurry to get him out to a mile and a quarter in the Belmont, but he handled this well and there’s a lot of mile and an eighth races that are just fine to run in going forward. Maybe he does want more ground, we’ll see.”