Trappe Shot answers two-turn question in Long Branch

Trappe Shot could bring his four-race winning streak into the Haskell (Alyssa Spakowski/Equi-Photo)

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin used Saturday’s $167,500

Long Branch S. at Monmouth as a two-turn experiment for Mill House’s
TRAPPE SHOT (Tapit), who had crushed his opponents in all three of his
outings this season in sprints. By riding the rail to a 2 1/2-length
victory, the 1-5 favorite promptly diversified his portfolio, opened up
a whole new range of options for himself, and might well have joined the
fray for an exciting second half of the sophomore season.

“He’s obviously a very nice horse,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll talk it
over with the owners, but going into this race we thought if he ran well
we’d bring him back in three weeks for the Haskell (Invitational [G1] on
August 1).

“I don’t think this race took too much out of him. He’s certainly
bred for the distance and handled everything perfectly today.”

A record-setting $850,000 two-year-old in training purchase at Fasig-Tipton
Midlantic, Trappe Shot raced only once as a juvenile, winding up fifth
after a stumbling start at Saratoga. The chestnut was not seen again
until February, when he obliterated Florida-breds by 10 1/4 lengths in a
Gulfstream Park maiden. McLaughlin continued to take the conservative
path with the talented colt, and sent him out to dispatch state-breds
again, this time by 12 3/4 lengths, in an allowance at the same venue in
March.

Trappe Shot hails from a distinguished family (Bill Denver/Equi-Photo)

“We wanted to play the race by how everyone broke,” Garcia said. “We did
think we would be behind horses and make one run. I had a lot of horse the whole
way, and I had to move inside the leader, but I knew the only way someone was
going to beat me was to run a big race. Two turns was no problem for him today.”

Trappe Shot returned $3 and $2.10 while completing the $10 exacta (3-4).
There was no show wagering. Nacho Friend crossed the wire 3 1/2 lengths in front
of Southern Ridge, and Latigo Shore (Malibu Moon) trailed. Colizeo (Distorted
Humor) and Wildcat Lake (Wildcat Heir) were scratched in favor of Saturday’s
Barbaro S. at Delaware Park, where they finished third and sixth, respectively.

Now four-for-five lifetime, Trappe Shot more than doubled his earnings to
$187,050. Bred by Hobeau Farm in the Sunshine State, he is out of the winning
Private Account mare Shopping, and counts Grade 1-winning millionaire Miss Shop
(Deputy Minister) as a half-sister. His youngest half-siblings are an unnamed
yearling filly by Street Cry (Ire) and a 2010 filly by Put It Back. This is the
family of Grade 1-winning sire Mining (Mr. Prospector). Trappe Shot has a
treasure trove of black type under his third dam, the influential matron Lady Be
Good (Better Self).