Trainer and co-owner MIKE DEPAULO was quite happy when the $100,000 Texas Glitter Stakes came off the grass at Gulfstream Park on March 23. DePaulo had entered the grey Ontario-sired and -bred colt FRAC DANCER in the 5 furlong race on turf and when it was moved to Tapeta, the two morning line favourites were scratched.
Last year’s Clarendon Stakes winner, bred by Phoenix Racing and owned by DePaulo, his son Joseph, Lou Donato’s Newtop Stable and John Russell, ended up with an easy lead, going fairly quickly with an opening two furlongs in 21.31 and half a mile in a sharp 43.86. Under jockey Emisael Jaramillo, Frac Dancer was bounding along to the top of the stretch when the challengers came at him. Jaramillo gave the colt his cue and the son of Frac Daddy dug it, holding off Runnin’ Rocket by half a length. The time of 55.63 was good for a career best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
It was the third win in as many starts for Frac Dancer, who won his debut on Oct. 15 at Woodbine before his Clarendon victory. The $61,830 winnings from the Texas Glitter pushed his career earnings to $156,998. Frac Dancer is by Frac Daddy who was the leading active sire of Two-Year-Old winners in Canada in 2023.
“We were going to run on the turf, but we were certainly happy it came off,” DePaulo said. “I really didn’t want to be on the lead, but I said it was up to [Jaramillo]. They went really fast, 21 and change. I thought ‘oh oh,’ but the track is probably a little faster.”
Frac Dancer has a deep female pedigree tracing back to his fourth dam, Renounce, by Buckpasser. Renounce produced more than a dozen foals for Ogden Mills Phillips including sturdy stakes winners Disclaim and Waitlist. Renounce is also the dam of Baltic Sea, an Ontario-bred by Danzig, bred by Bob Anderson. Baltic Sea produced some 17 foals including multiple graded stakes winner Caller One, who earned over $3.2 million and won the Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2002. Baltic Sea is also the dam of $680,000 earner and stakes winner Unbridled Sidney, Grade 2 winner Prospect Bay and stakes-placed Silver Dollar Kids. Baltic Sea’s 2002 foal Fiery Pegasus is the second dam of Frac Dancer. Her foal Dancing on Fire won the Rainbow Connection Stakes at Fort Erie and Frac Dancer is her first foal to race.
Frac Dancer is likely headed to the Woodstock Stakes at Woodbine on April 28.
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