Captivating Moon storms home to win $150,000 Fair Grounds S. (G3)
February 14, 2021
Captivating Moon captures the 35th running of the Grade III Fair Grounds Stakes – Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.
Malibu Moon added to his storied list of graded stakes winners Saturday when Captivating Moon came from last at the top of the stretch to win the Fair Grounds S. (G3) by 1 ¾-lengths.
The 6-year-old had won or placed in a dozen stakes prior to Saturday, but had never tasted graded success. That all changed with his dynamic stretch run. After trailing the field for most of the first seven furlongs, Captivating Moon came very wide into the stretch. Showing tremendous turn of foot, he flew past the entire field to win going away under Marcellino Pedroza.
The final time for the 1 1/8-miles on the yielding turf was 1:50.27.
“The turf course was real soft in the American Turf (at Churchill Downs, when Captivating Moon ran second), and he loved it. So I thought maybe he might like this,” trainer Chris Block said.
Bred in Kentucky by his owner Lothenbach Stables, Captivating Moon is the fourth graded/group stakes winner out of Appealing Storm, Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. (G1) Vacare, Prix Thomas Bryon (G3) winner Abtaal, and Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (G3) winner Single Solution.
Captivating Moon’s record now stands at 5-8-5 in 29 starts, with earnings of $608,118. He is the 53rd lifetime graded winner, and one of 126 black type winners worldwide, for his sire.
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