Goldencents colt a front-running victor in stakes debut

Looms Boldy had a successful stakes debut Sunday at Aqueduct, winning the $100,000 Damon Runyon S. by a half-length in front-running style.

The 3-year-old Goldencents colt was making just his fourth lifetime start and now sports a record of 2-1-1 and earnings of $117,540 for Ten Strike Racing.

Goldencents has been a perennial leading sire of his generation and 2023 is no exception, as he tops all Sixth-Crop sires with over $1.7 million in progeny earnings to date. Lifetime he has 49 stakes horses and over $31 million in progeny earnings.

Looms Boldly, who has made all four of his starts at Aqueduct, quickly shot to the lead on Sunday and took the field through fractions of :22.39 and :46.42. Despite the quick early pace, he spurted away from the field in upper stretch and had plenty left to hold off the late-closing Andiamo a Firenze.

“I expected him to be on the lead or near it, but I didn’t expect it to be that quick,” said Dustin Dugas, assistant to winning trainer Brad Cox. “Manny [Franco] was really confident in the horse and has breezed him a bunch of times; he knows him really well. He rode him last time and he needed the race a bit off the layoff. He wasn’t that comfortable sitting off the pace, so Manny made sure to be really aggressive today and it panned out.”

Looms Boldly was bred by Marshall Gramm and Clay Sanders. His dam See the Forest is also responsible for two-time stakes winner Critical Value, while second dam Critical Eye won five graded stakes, including two Grade 1’s, and earned over $1 million.