Roman Threat enters stakes ranks

A half-brother to multiple champion Indian Blessing, Roman Threat continued to make a name for himself when dominating Monday's Grade 3, $100,000 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park. The promising Bob Baffert-trained gelding registered his first stakes victory in only his third career outing, completing six furlongs in 1:08 2/5 with Rafael Bejarano.

The four-year-old son of Roman Ruler made a belated career debut on March 11, annexing a maiden special weight by 1 1/4 lengths, and then finished a close second to 2011 sprint champion Amazombie in the Grade 2 Potrero Grande on April 7. Both starts came on the dirt at Santa Anita and Roman Threat was trying a synthetic track in the Los Angeles.

He flashed to the front when the gates opened, reaching the quarter-mile mark in :22 1/5 with a 1 1/2-length cushion on the Cushion Track, and continued to roll uncontested through a half-mile in :44 4/5. Bejarano had plenty of horse beneath him turning for home and hand-rode his mount to the wire, winning by a comfortable 1 1/4-length margin.

Owned and bred by Hal and Patti Earnhardt, who also campaigned 2007 champion juvenile filly and 2008 champion female sprinter Indian Blessing, Roman Threat boosted his bankroll to $123,600 with the $60,000 winner's share. He paid $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favorite among seven runners.

Centralintelligence raced in second throughout while never threatening the winner. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Camp Victory, who was 2 1/4 lengths better than the late-running Rail Trip. Next came M One Rifle, Sway Away and Dancing in Silks. Don Tito was scratched.

The Kentucky-bred Roman Threat is out of stakes winner and multiple Grade 3-placed Shameful, a daughter of Flying Chevron who comes from the same family as Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy and Grade 1 heroines Cat's Cradle and Roamin Rachel. Her second foal, Indian Blessing, won nine graded stakes, including five Grade 1 events. The Indian Charlie filly earned $2,995,420 from a 16-10-5-0 career line.

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