Roman Threat shows scary speed in G3 Los Angeles H.
Roman Threat is an easy winner of the G3 Los Angeles H. |
Roman Threat coasted to a front-running victory in the $100,000 Los Angeles H. on Memorial Day at Hollywood Park to
become Bob Baffert’s latest stakes winner and showed plenty of promise that there is more to come from this lightly raced 4-year-old.
Coming out of the gate like a shot, Roman Threat went right to the lead, carving out fractions of :22.35 and :44.81. Eventual runner-up Centralintelligence made a run at the lead, but couldn’t keep pace, and Roman Threat glided home a length and a quarter winner in 1:08.57 for the six furlongs.
“I had a lot a horse in the beginning, it was a very easy race for me,” said winning rider Rafael Bejarano. “ I didn’t even use him too much for this race.”
Roman Threat was making just his third lifetime start in the Los Angeles. The Hal Earnhardt homebred broke his maiden in March at Santa Anita, posting a gaudy 106 Beyer Speed Figure. He proved that was no fluke when he ran second in the Grade 2 Potrero Grande S. in early April, losing by less than a length to 2011 Sprint champion Amazombie and getting a Beyer of 104.
Roman Threat is a half-brother to two-time champion Indian Blessing, also trained by Baffert and owned by Earnhardt. Her incredible career included five grade 1 wins, topped by the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, as well as four other grade stakes wins. She retired with a record of 10-5-0 in 16 starts, earning $2,995,420.