Vertical Threat drew off impressively in the Del Mar stretch to register a 5 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Smiling Tiger S. in what was the black type debut for the 3-year-old Tapiture colt.
Tapiture is the leading Second-Crop sire of 2020 by both winners (36) and wins (47) and is in the top five by stakes winners and stakes horses and is the only top-five sire standing for less than $10,000.
Vertical Threat, who was making his stakes debut after a six-length maiden win a month ago, tracked odds-on favorite Ragtime Blues through a quarter-mile in :22.18, then moved up along side the pacesetter on the turn, and easily dispatched him at the top of the stretch. Wrapped up in the final sixteenth, Vertical Threat finished the six furlongs in 1:10.47 on a fast main track.
Vertical Threat has won two of three starts and earned $65,150 for MyRacehorse.com and Slam Dunk Racing. He was bred in Kentucky by Albert and Teresa Davis. Vertical Threat is out of Viola Blew By, also the dam of stakes-placed Perpetual Novena and a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Bee Cee Cee.
