Distant Fleet Rallies Wide, Upsets Phoenix Gold Cup in Desert Heat

Seven wide into the stretch, in oppressive desert heat, Distant Fleet did what longshots are supposed to do on paper and almost never do in practice: he kept running. The 4-year-old ridgling by Stay Thirsty, ridden by Karlo Lopez for trainer Raymond Valerio, rallied from well off the pace to spring a significant upset Saturday in the $50,000 Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap at Turf Paradise, completing the six-furlong sprint in 1:07.58 on a fast main track.

The victory headlined a stakes tripleheader and sent bettors who stayed with the horse to the windows with a $54.40 win return. Distant Fleet also paid $17.00 and $10.20 across the board.

The race unfolded almost brutally for Distant Fleet on paper. Sawasdee carved out honest fractions of 21.31 and 42.97 seconds on the front end, with Book Smart stalking in second. Distant Fleet settled six wide early, which is already a compromised trip in a six-furlong sprint where every yard of ground matters. He was then swung seven wide into the stretch. That proved no obstacle. He advanced on the turn, found his gear in the lane, and ran down Book Smart, who had seized the lead just past the furlong marker after launching a six-wide bid of his own. Distant Fleet got to him in the final strides and won by a neck.

Book Smart, trained by Robert Hess Jr. and ridden by Abel Lezcano, returned $4.80 and $3.80 for place and show. Departure, under Jose Asencio, finished third by a neck after being outpaced early and staying on gamely five wide through the stretch, paying $5.40 to show. Sawasdee held on for fourth after setting the pace throughout, with Mission Beach, Augusta Melody, Diamond Rim and Knockout Guy completing the order of finish. Neiman was scratched.

The betting favorite, See Through It, trained by Peter Miller and shipped from California, never threatened. The horse was outrun four wide, drifted toward the rail past the three-sixteenths pole, and made no impact, finishing seventh in a race that was supposed to be his to lose.

Elsewhere on the tripleheader card, Independence Rise made the Turf Paradise Derby look simple. The odds-on favorite pulled his way to the front in the $30,000 event for 3-year-olds and never looked back, romping to an 8 3/4-length victory. Distant Fleet's performance was the more compelling story: a wide trip that should have ended a race instead finished one, on the right end.