Photo by EquiPhoto

Trappe Shot, Tapit's talented 3-year-old colt, captured his first stakes victory in his first start around two turns in the $175,000 Long Branch S. at Monmouth Park on July 10th, emerging as a serious contender in the 3-year-old division for the second half of the season.

Entering his stakes debut off a trio of impressive wins this season, Trappe Shot faced just three rivals in the Long Branch, but his trip became a challenging one. Heading into the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile race following a stumbling start, the handsome chestnut was pushed out wide and forced to rate in tight for most of the run down the backstretch. Last of the group heading into the far turn, Trappe Shot and jockey Alan Garcia found a small seam up the rail and forged through to gain position along the inside for clear run as they hit the top of the stretch.

Trappe Shot, though lightly raced and previously untested in stakes company, handled the education like a scholar and showed that the hype that follows him is real. After swapping his leads on cue, he displayed his great athleticism by leveling off beautifully and accelerating away from a menacing Nacho Friend while just under a hand ride. Trappe Shot was gathered up late by Garcia and hit the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front, stopping the clock in 1:43.48 over a good local main track. The performance earned him another gaudy Beyer Speed Figure of 105, which pairs the 105 he earned in his previous start at Belmont Park.

To see the great potential of Trappe Shot, you only needed to watch his finishing run to separate from Nacho Friend the final sixteenth of a mile. That rhythmic stride and great acceleration despite never being hit with the stick showed the quality that should make the up-and-coming colt dangerous in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) in three weeks.

“It was a great spot to test him out going two turns with only four horses in the race, but we didn't think he would have any trouble going two turns,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin told TVG in a post-race interview. “He's shown he was a stake horse since the first day we put a bridle on him. He's always trained very well and he's a special colt. The way he won, we'll probably come back in three weeks (for the Haskell).”

Trappe Shot earned $105,000 for owner Mill House, which purchased him for a record price of $850,000 last year as a 2-year-old at Timonium. The famed Florida operation Hobeau Farm bred and sold the colt, who hails from the five-time stakes-producing Private Account mare Shopping. Most of Shopping's offspring have raced for Hobeau – including Grade 1 millionaire Miss Shop – and most excelled around two turns.

Being by Tapit from that female family, Trappe Shot figured to be just as good around two turns as he was around one turn. But with the brilliance he's displayed this year sprinting, many questioned how he could be much better going a route of ground, which is a tribute to how great his previous three races were. He raced twice at Gulfstream to start the year and quickly broke his maiden untested before cruising to an impressive allowance victory. Both of those came by a combined 23 lengths.

Trappe Shot made it three in a row with a dominant win on the Belmont Stakes undercard, running seven furlongs faster than the Grade 2 Woody Stephens that same day, and he immediately gained buzz as a sophomore on the rise. Sent off at 1-2 by the bettors in the Long Branch, he validated his growing reputation with a professional win – his fourth straight. Now it's on to the Haskell on August 1st, which is to be contested at 1 1/8 miles.