The Stormy Atlantic gelding had to fight to the wire in the June 14 test.
Neptune’s Storm fought his way to the finish line June 14 in the $251,350 San Francisco Mile Stakes (G3T) on the turf at Golden Gate Fields to just get past Kiwi’s Dream, who continued gamely to the wire.
The race for milers, 3 and older, was the first win of the year for the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) winner, who won three turf stakes last year before taking on tougher competition to finish second in the Hollywood Derby (G1T) at Del Mar and third in the Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park to close his 3-year-old season.
The 4-year-old Stormy Atlantic gelding, trained by Richard Baltas for owners CYBT, Saul Gevertz, Lynn Gitomer, Mike Goetz, Michael Nentwig, and Daniel Weiner, has accumulated a record of 6-3-5 in 17 starts and earnings of $788,085.
Kiwi’s Dream was sent straight to the lead as expected, and Neptune’s Storm settled just off the leader to his outside with Camino Del Paraiso in third. As a quarter-mile went in :23.97 and a half in :48.11, there was little change to the order in the field of eight. Favored Restrainedvengence was racing wide in fifth.
As they entered the turn for home, the pace quickened slightly and jockey William Antongeorgi III moved Neptune’s Storm up to pressure the leader. Coming off the turn, it turned into a two-horse race with Neptune’s Storm pushing past Kiwi’s Dream, but the rival fought back and made the winner work all the way to the wire.
Neptune’s Storm won by a head in 1:35.50 on firm turf and returned $8 to win. Kiwi’s Dream finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Camino Del Paraiso, and Restrainedvengence only managed fourth.
Neptune’s Storm came into the San Francisco Mile off a seventh-place finish in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita in his season debut May 25. Before that, he finished in the top three in 12 consecutive starts.
Bred in Kentucky by Tracy Farmer, Neptune’s Storm is the first foal out of the unraced Iffraaj mare Immortal Life.
