Exciting four-year-old Performer, who hails from the same family as Wilgerbosdrift’s young War Front horse Fire Away, made an impressive return to racing when scoring a facile win in an allowance optional claiming race at Belmont Park on Saturday. Quickly into stride beneath Joel Rosario, the attractive chestnut colt raced a touch keenly from third while hugging the rail through solid opening splits. Rosario decided he could wait no longer rounding the turn and allowed the 3-10 chalk to accelerate to the inside of pacesetting Musical Heart and the pair hit the front with three furlongs to race. With his rider hard against him and with his ears flopping back and forth, Performer held Musical Heart at a safe distance before being allowed to run just a touch through the final half-furlong. The winning margin was a measured 1 3/4 lengths.
A winner of five of just starts including the 2019 G3 Discovery Stakes, Performer may now be aimed at the G1 Cigar Mile.
A son of Speightstown, Performer’s fourth dam is unbeaten champion, and former Broodmare Of The Year, Personal Ensign -who ranks as the granddam of Fire Away.
The latter, who shares his outstanding sire War Front with 23 individual G1 winners, won seven times including the G3 Dixie Stakes and earned over $600 000 in prize money.
Fire Away’s first foals arrived in 2020.