Tartabull wins one for Anna. (Jim McCue/TMJC)
Dan Illman/Laurel Park
LAUREL, Md.— Like mother, like son.
Tartabull, the first foal out of the extremely popular Anna’s Bandit, rallied stoutly along the inside to win Saturday’s ninth race at Laurel Park, a $45,000 maiden special weight for state-bred or -sired juveniles at six furlongs.
Anna’s Bandit, a West Virginia-bred daughter of Maryland stallion Great Notion, won 17 of 39 starts, earning $806,655 for breeder and trainer Jerry Robb. Jockey Xavier Perez teamed with the mare for 15 of those victories, and he was aboard Tartabull for the first time this afternoon.
“I’m over the moon just knowing I got to ride a baby of a horse that means so much for me in Maryland,” an emotional Perez said in the winner’s circle. “I’m grateful that [trainer Chad Summers] sent him down to us, and let me ride him, and enjoy him for a whole week. He’s been down here since last Saturday.”
Since shipping down from his New York base, Tartabull has lived the pampered life, settling down in Robb’s barn at Laurel Park.
“Tartabull actually is in Anna’s stall,” said Jessica Lindsay, Perez’s wife, Robb’s assistant trainer, and an integral part of Anna’s Bandit’s development into a multiple stakes-winner. “The poor horse that’s in there was deported to the other side.”
“We’re superstitious like that,” Perez said.
Bred in Maryland by Anna’s Bandit’s owners, Jerry and Gina Robb’s No Guts No Glory Farm, and Tapit Syndicate, Tartabull is a son of four-time champion sire Tapit and sold to Al Gold’s Gold Square LLC for $310,000 as a yearling.
“We were at the farm when he was foaled,” Perez said.
“And we haven’t seen him since he sold at the sale,” Lindsay added.
Tartabull was scheduled to make his career debut on June 28, but a quarantine situation in New York forced his withdrawal.
“He’s a cool horse,” Summers said of Tartabull earlier that week. “I’ve bought a lot of horses over the past 20 years, but I’ve never bought a Tapit. He was one we really liked at the sale. He’s trained like a horse who actually wants some distance. But we blew him out of the gate the other day, and he went in 35.”
Summers was also impressed with Anna’s Bandit.
“It’s not easy to win races, and all she did was win,” Summers said about Anna’s Bandit. “She was a rock star.”
A week after scratching at Laurel, Summers entered Tartabull in a maiden special weight at Saratoga. He placed third, 12 lengths behind Ewing, a son of Maryland-bred Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Knicks Go. Ewing returned the following month to capture the Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes.
Tartabull raced once more at Saratoga this summer, running fifth in another maiden special weight. The third-place finisher in that race, Further Ado, next graduated at Keeneland by 20 lengths, receiving a whopping 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
Tartabull didn’t break the best in his Laurel debut, but that allowed Perez to navigate the gray colt to the inside, where all the earlier dirt winners on Saturday’s card raced. Tartabull settled into the pocket as Vida, Pont Aven, and Caseofthemondays skirmished for the early lead through fractions of 23.02 and 47.06 seconds.
Perez maneuvered his mount outside a tiring Vida, then altered Tartabull back to the fence. From there, Tartabull built momentum, and he rolled home to prevail by a half-length over Caseofthemondays. Favored debut runner Pont Aven finished another length behind in third, followed by Good Man Dan, J J Pacheco, Vida, Skullduggery, Crystal Knight, and Broadside Salvo.
Tartabull stopped the timer in 1:12.82 over the fast track and returned $8.80 as the public’s second choice.
“You heard my wife say that he pulled an Anna on us because he broke alertly, and then he sat back a bit on the turn,” Perez said. “When I got him to working, he responded pretty well, like she used to run. When I saw the setup of the race, when I dove to the inside, I was really confident. When I got to the quarter pole, he started gaining on those horses without me tapping him on the shoulder on anything.”
Perez noted some traits that Tartabull inherited from his dam. “The week he’s been here, I’ve galloped him. I went inside horses. I went on the outside. I put him in behind horses. He didn’t mind. He’s a perfect image of her. He jogs like her. He moves like her. He’s really smart.”
“He’s a dude,” Lindsay noticed. “He’s very personable. Anna was very much [where] we worked for her. Good morning. Glad you’re here. I need snacks. You can go now. She was the queen.”
Perez believes Tartabull will appreciate more ground. “He gave me a kick, but I think he wants to go a little extra distance because he was grinding and grinding and grinding. The talent that he showed today, even being buried behind horses, and coming through on the rail. He was brave. When I hit the wire, I was yelling like I won the [Breeders’ Cup] Classic.”
Anna’s Bandit is never far from their hearts.
Lindsay proudly displayed a giant tattoo of the mare’s picture on her back. Perez has Anna’s Bandit’s name inked on his left arm. Lindsay wore a jacket emblazoned with Anna’s Bandit’s name. Perez used special “Anna’s Bandit” riding gloves.
“We busted out all our swag,” Lindsay laughed.
“That’s how much she means to us,” Perez said. “These gloves haven’t been used since Anna’s been retired.”
There’s no doubting their affection for Anna’s Bandit, the last horse to win a Maryland Million race and a West Virginia Breeders’ Classic race in the same year.
“[She was] our life,” he said. “She’s in my heart. She was really game. She never disappointed me, even when she ran a bad race.”
Around the track … … …. …..
Live racing resumes Sunday with an 11-race program. The first post time is 12:10 p.m. ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout rate…
The FREE “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available every racing day. See picks, a full-card analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and lots more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of analysts. Sunday’s Guide can be found at https://www.laurelpark.com/picks/ …
Join us at Laurel Park on Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, for the “Breeders’ Cup Watch Party,” including a special Breeders’ Cup Race Day Buffet. For ticket information, visit https://www.laurelpark.com/bcwatchparty/ …
Visit The Maryland Jockey Club YouTube Channel for the latest race replays and video features. You can find the channel at https://www.youtube.com/@MarylandRacing
