FLATTER’s evergreen son Plainsman recorded his ninth career victory on Saturday in the Razorback Handicap (G3) in his first start since finishing third in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) in December.
Plainsman shadowed Thomas Shelby in the 1 1/16-mile race, keeping pressure on the leader throughout the race. Coming within a head of that rival in the far turn, Plainsman continued to push all the way to the line, getting his neck in front with the rest of the field two lengths behind the top pair.
Owned by Shortleaf Stable, the Brad Cox trainee has finished in the top three in each of his last eight starts with stakes wins coming in four of them. In all, the 7-year-old FLATTER son has 20 top three finishes in 28 starts for over $1.2 million in earnings.
“I kind of felt like he was going to be on his game,” Cox said. “I don’t know if I was sweating it. He’s a tough horse. I always felt like he’s a horse that runs his best when he turns for home and he’s right there in position. If he can get the lead at some point, he’s a very tenacious, hard-trying horse. I know he’s a hard horse to get by once he gets the lead, so I felt pretty confident that he could maybe hold off the horse on the inside.”
The Joseph Minor-bred Plainsman is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed Liam and two other winners from his dam’s three other runners. That mare is a half-sister to multiple grade three winner Southdale and the dam of two stakes performers.
Plainsman is now the winner of five stakes races with his first coming in the 2018 Discovery Stakes (G3).