Sudan blazes trail in Golden Gate Fields Turf

Gary Tanaka's SUDAN (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) had yet to brandish his Group

1-winning European form in two U.S. starts, but the Bobby Frankel charge looked

determined to set things right with a vengeance in Saturday's $100,000

Golden

Gate Fields Turf S. (G3). Sprinting straight to the early lead beneath David

Flores, Sudan carved out splits of :24 3/5, :49, 1:14 and 1:38 3/5 while

widening his advantage to as many as seven lengths. The chestnut was never

remotely threatened in the stretch, eventually slamming his rivals by four

lengths in a final time of 2:16 4/5 for 1 3/8 miles on firm turf. The 6-5

favorite furnished mutuels of $4.60, $3.40 and $2.10 and spearheaded the $1

exotics worth $12.30 (exacta), $23.10 (trifecta) and $48.80 (3-8-2-6 superfecta).

Fitz Flag (Arg) (Flag Down) closed from far back to grab second by one

length, paying $4.40 and $2.20 at 4-1. Uffizi (El Prado [Ire]), who left the

gate as the 3-2 second choice, ran evenly in third and gave back $2.10. Fire

Wood (Woodman) was another two lengths away in fourth, with Amazin Blue (Marquetry)

in fifth and We Brothers (Royal Academy) a tailed-off last. Top This and That

(Old Topper) was withdrawn, along with expected pacesetter Plug Me In (Hold for

Gold), whose absence opened the door for Sudan's front-running display.

Sudan improved his scorecard to 15-3-2-4, $451,323. First based in France

with trainer Elie Lellouche, the Irish-bred placed in five stakes events in

2006, including when he chased home eventual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1)

hero Rail Link in the Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-G1), Prix Niel (Gr-G2) and Prix du

Lys (Fr-G3). As a four-year-old last season, Sudan managed to bag his first

stakes victory with a hard-fought, photo-finish decision in the Gran Premio di

Milano (Ity-G1). In his American bow in February, Sudan was a disappointing last

of eight in the San Luis Obispo H. (G2), and he was most recently a distant

third in the Jim Murray Memorial H. (G2).

Bred by Dayton Investments Ltd. in the Emerald Isle, Sudan is out of the

winning Woodman mare Sarabande, and he has an unraced juvenile half-brother

named Shishkin (Dalakhani). His second dam, Special Happening (Relaunch), won

the 1987 Alcibiades S. (G2) and placed second in the Arlington-Washington Lassie

S. (G1), third in the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) and fourth in the Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Fillies (G1).