Z Fortune strikes it rich, stays perfect in Lecomte

Zayat Stables' Z FORTUNE (Siphon [Brz]) passed his first serious test of class with flying colors in Saturday's $99,000 Lecomte S. (G3), the marquee event on the "Road to the Derby" Kickoff program at Fair Grounds. The Steve Asmussen pupil had dismissed New York-bred rivals in his first two starts, but despite meeting a vastly stronger field in his stakes debut, the gray swept to a similarly clear victory. With Shaun Bridgmohan aboard for the first time, Z Fortune stopped the teletimer in 1:37 3/5 for one mile on the fast track.

In the early going, the usually speedy Z Fortune showed a new dimension while rating in fifth. The Darp (Proud Citizen) promptly took up the front runner's role and led the way through splits of :24 1/5 and :48 1/5. The pace-prompting He's Eze (Silver Deputy) decided to take control nearing the six-furlong mark in 1:12 4/5, but entering the stretch, a platoon of challengers emerged. For a brief moment, a contentious stretch drive appeared to be in the offing, until Z Fortune arrived on the scene. Once angled out for daylight, he shot to the front and kicked clear by 2 3/4 lengths at the wire. Z Fortune provided mutuels of $12, $5.60 and $4 as the 5-1 fifth choice in the eight-horse field.

"I got him to relax," Bridgmohan said of the change in tactics. "We had a great trip. We were just sitting pretty. When I showed him some room, he just got running."
Blackberry Road (Gone West), the 3-1 favorite, deployed his patented late kick to get up for second by 1 1/2 lengths. It was a fine effort from the confirmed closer, especially considering that mile races at Fair Grounds end at the sixteenth-pole. Blackberry Road returned $4.20 and $2.80, and the exacta was worth $59.40.

"I am very happy," jockey Calvin Borel said of Blackberry Road. "The fractions were slow up front. I am very happy he is relaxing because that is what we want right now."
Mad Flatter (Flatter), who had actually held a narrow lead in the stretch, salvaged third by a head from He's Eze. The 11-1 Mad Flatter paid $6 and produced a $371.40 trifecta, and the 5-6-7-3 superfecta totaled $3,105.60. The Darp retreated to fifth, trailed by Macho Again (Macho Uno), Texas Fever (Victory Gallop) and Star Defender (Vindication). As expected, Star Guitar (Quiet American) was scratched after sustaining an injury earlier in the week.

Still unbeaten after three starts, Z Fortune has bankrolled $117,600. He opened his career with a 6 1/2-length tally in a maiden at Belmont Park, and when stretching out to two turns in his next engagement at Aqueduct, he sailed through an entry-level allowance by 4 3/4 lengths.

Bred by Delehanty Stock Farm in the Empire State, Z Fortune is out of Fortunate Faith (Fortunate Prospect), the winner of the 1992 Demoiselle S. (G2). Her youngest offspring is a juvenile filly named Wittenberg Miss (Smart Strike). Z Fortune was sold for $80,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale.
Asmussen is definitely dispatching Z Fortune onto the Kentucky Derby trail.

"My job is to try to figure out how to win the Derby with him," the horseman said. "We'll try to map out a plan. He's a good horse."