A promising group of two-year-olds for FLATTER brought added excitement to December when Benson gave her sire the second half a juvenile victory double less than 72 hours after Danger broke her own maiden.
Showing the versatility of Flatter’s runners, the Mark Casse-trained Danger provided her sire a synthetic win at Turfway Park over one mile to kick off the exciting week. Leading all the way after breaking on top, Danger won by half a length with Chris Landeros aboard.
Sold for $170,000 as a 2-year-old earlier this year to D.J. Stable, Danger boasts the strong pedigree expected of a horse bred by her breeder China Horse Club. The filly is the first to run out of Sweet Carrie, a half-sister to WAR FRONT’s multiple Grade 1 winning son The Factor among her dam’s eight winners.
Another of Sweet Carrie’s half-siblings is the dam of Grade 1 winner Keeper of the Stars, giving strong indications Danger has even more talent to come.
On Saturday, Benson made an impressive debut at Fair Grounds on the dirt for G M B Racing and Tom Amoss. Racing third behind dueling leaders in the six furlong race, Benson showed strong determination when James Graham asked her to go for the lead. The filly switched into another gear in the final furlong to fly past the leader and win by a widening 2 ¼ lengths with only one horse able to cut into her margin once she took the lead.
Bred by T & G Farm of Kentucky, Benson is the second foal out of the stakes-placed mare Bennett Jean. Another filly coming from a talented family, Benson’s stakes winning granddam Pretty Meadow produced eight winners from 10 to race and herself is one of 10 winners out of her own dam. That mare, Why So Much, produced three stakes winners and five stakes horses during her broodmare career.
The sire of 54 stakes winners, Flatter has sired 19 juvenile stakes winners and four Grade 1 winners with his best bred runners still to come.