NYRA/Adam Coglianese
By Sarah Mace
Mike Repole homebred Sudden Surprise turned his sixth career start into a fourth stakes victory at Aqueduct on Sunday, when he wired the nine-horse field of the six-furlong $150,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series for eligible New York-sired juveniles.
Bet down to 30 cents on the dollar while conceding four-to-eight pounds to his rivals, and drawn in post four under regular rider John Velazquez, Sudden Surprise broke well and was urged immediately to the lead by the Hall of Famer, where he settled in with a comfortable one-length lead, pursued by 7-2 second choice Dr. Shane from post nine.
After clocking early fractions of 22.92 and 45.86, the bay colt was asked for a little more at the top of the lane. Even though Dr. Shane whittled the margin down slightly in deep stretch and Sudden Surprise drifted out somewhat, the pacesetter prevailed, securing his victory by a half-length in a final time of 1:11.38 over the “good” surface of the inner oval.
Following runner-up Dr. Shane across the line in third was Bluegrass Prevails and completing the order of finish were Gaming, Text Me, Guaranteed, Silent Waters, Benny and Alex and Zoo Yorker. [VIDEO]
Velazquez, who made the trip north to take the mount, said, “I knew about [the race] three weeks ago. We knew he was going to run, and it’s an easy day down there in Florida so I might as well take the call here. I try to follow him so I don’t lose him.”
Continued Velazquez, “I’ve known [Sudden Surprise] for so long, so I know he’s nice and he’s going to be very game. I think this is probably his distance as well. He’s a really game horse, so whatever comes to him, he’ll put up a really good fight down the lane. It was a really good effort.”
Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher, said, “We figured that [Nick] Esler’s horse [Dr. Shane] would be the second choice. He seems to be a nice little consistent horse and gave a little fight there at the end. The track’s been playing a little slow, so I thought the time was pretty good. We’ll see how he comes out of it and go from there, but we’ll keep him on the New York-bred trail.”
A bay son of Repole’s leading New York-based freshman sire Giant Surprise, Sudden Surprise broke his maiden at Saratoga in July and came back four weeks later to post a front-running victory in the Funny Cide at 6 1/2 furlongs. He followed up with a neck victory in the Bertram F. Bongard at Belmont on September 27. After an intervening sub-par performance, fourth behind even-money favorite Get Jets in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow, Sudden Surprise returned to the winner’s circle in the Notebook on November 21 at the Big A, winning by 1 3/4 lengths as the 3-10 favorite.
His five wins, including four stakes victories, have generated a hefty earnings bankroll of $416,300.
Foaled at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, Sudden Surprise is the first foal out of Ready and Good, a placed Florida-bred runner by More than Ready, also trained by Pletcher for Repole, who had a lone career start. She has visited Repole stallions exclusively, and has a yearling filly by Overdriven and a weanling filly by Stay Thirsty. She was bred this year to Uncle Mo.
The winner’s sire Giant Surprise, who stands at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, likewise won a lone start for Repole / Pletcher in a much-anticipated debut at Saratoga four summers ago during which he suffered a career-ending non-displaced condylar fracture.
