Xaverian’s strong rally in deep stretch carried the 4-year-old son of Sky Mesa to his first stakes victory in the $75,000 Raymond Earl S. Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Already stakes-placed on a pair of occasions, Xaverian was at the back of the compact five-horse field for the first six panels. Caught behind horses coming into the stretch, Xaverian found an opening with a furlong to run, shooting through and finishing very strongly to win by a half-length in a swift 1:33.67 for the mile on the firm turf.
“I think being bunched up helped him in that he was only a length or two behind these horses,” winning trainer Chuck Simon said. “I was a little concerned that he would get too far behind coming out of the mile-and-a-half race, but I think it played to his advantage. Cornelio (Velasquez) rode him great. He’s a good rider and I’m happy that he’s relocated down here (at Gulfstream). He’s a pro and gives his best every time.”
Xaverian is out of the excellent producer Majestic Dy, also the dam of stakes winners Al Qasr and Delicate Dynamite.
Sky Mesa is the sire of five stakes winners and more than 10 stakes horses this year, including Grade 1 winner Giulia.
