More Than Ready colt Sonic Boom is poised for a profitable year on the strength his first black-type victory in the LR Columbia Stakes (1600m) at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday.
The lightly-raced 3yo is the 168th stakes winner by Vinery champion More Than Ready.
Sonic Boom edged out the favourite Profiteer in a driving finish on turf clocking 1.34.73s for 1600 metres. “He’s the kind of horse that’s going to get better,” jockey Julien Leparoux said. “He needs to relax a little more; he grabbed the bit on me down the backside. We didn’t have a perfect trip but he showed a big heart and tried all the way to the wire.”
Owned by Lothenbach Stables, he cost $135,000 at the 2015 Kentucky September yearling sale. His dam Silent Circle (Indian Charlie) has also foaled More Than Ready stakes performer Galientos among four winners to date.
Sonic Boom won a Kentucky Downs juvenile in September and was elevated to black-type company by trainer Ian Wilkes for a second in the LR Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita in October. He resumed this year with a fourth in the LR Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Gulfstream last month.
“He’s a good horse and makes his own luck,” Wilkes said. “He strictly a grass horse and has natural speed. We sent him to California to try and qualify for the Breeders’ Cup but he came up just short in the Zuma Beach so we put him away for this year.”
