NYRA/Joe Labozzetta
By Sarah Mace
Paul Pompa Jr.’s homebred Send It In made his stakes debut a winning one on Saturday as a 3-5 favorite when he captured NYRA’s traditional New Year’s Eve feature, the $100,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes for older New York-breds.
Foaled at Vivien Malloy’s Edition Farm in Hyde Park, Send It In, now a 4-year-old gelding, is a special horse for Pompa. He was sired by dual classic winner and 3-year-old champion Big Brown, whom Pompa campaigned in partnership with IEAH Stables and others, and who now stands for Sunrise Stallions at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains. Send It In is also the first foal out of Sharp Instinct, a multiple winner by Awesome Again, whom Pompa purchased as a Keeneland September yearling in 2008 for $275,000.
A Todd Pletcher-trainee, Send It In managed only a trio of starts in 2016 before the Robb, but made all three count. In February and March, he cruised through his open allowance conditions at Aqueduct, but was then forced to the sidelines. His return to the races nine months later in an open, 1 mile-70 yard $100,000 optional claimer on December 9, was everything his connections could have hoped—a strong second-place finish just a neck behind the winner.
Explained Pompa, “He won the 2X [on March 12] and he came back and we thought he had pulled something up high, but he had a spiral fracture and they put a screw in. We gave him the right time before his next start and he came back the right way, [running] a 102 Beyer Speed Figure off a layoff against a speed bias.”
Exiting post four in the 1 1/16-mile Alex Robb, Send It In settled in third and rounded the clubhouse turn three wide. On the backstretch he and his pilot kept a watchful eye on the leaders.
Up front, the first three-quarters of a mile of the Alex Robb was a tale of two greys — Iron Power and Becker’s Galaxy, who passed the lead between them through fractions of 25.26, 49.07 and 1:12.98.
NYRA/Chelsea Durand
Jockey Manny Franco began to ask for some more from Send It In midway on the far turn. The gelding responded and challenged the top pair at the head of the stretch. He overtook the leaders with three-sixteenths to go, then moved over to the speed-favoring rail where he drew off to win by 3 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:45.41.
Empire Dreams (5-1), close runner-up to the recently-retired Saratoga Snacks in last year’s running of the Robb, made a good, but non-threatening move from fourth to claim second, while Testosterstone (19-1) closed into third another 2 1/2 lengths back. Following the top three were Becker’s Galaxy, Good Luck Gus and Iron Power. Second choice Wake Up in Malibu stumbled at the start and was eased. [VIDEO]
“I knew that he’s a good horse and I just let him do his thing,” said Franco. “I tried to get close to the pace and it worked out good. When I asked, he gave it to me today. He’s a nice horse. I trust him.”
Pompa said, “I was [worried about a speed bias today]. I ran a horse that was 1-2 yesterday and he was chasing the whole way.” He added, “I think this horse has been a stellar performer. I’m very proud of him. He’s a homebred, too. I had the mother, I had the father, and he’s just a tremendous horse.”
Send It In has won seven of 14 career starts, along with three seconds and two thirds and has compiled $338,414 in earnings.
Pompa is mulling some big ideas for Send It In’s next start and will be conferring with trainer Todd Pletcher. “There’s a series of New York-bred stakes coming up, but there is interest in him going down [to Gulfstream Park] for the [Grade 1, $12 million] Pegasus [World Cup] or the [$400,000] Poseidon [on January 28], but I’d have to make that decision.” He added, “The timing is right.”
