LRL: Tartabull brings back memories of mother during first win * The Racing Biz

Jockey Xavier Perez wore the black and gold silks of Al Gold’s Gold Square LLC ahead of Saturday’s ninth race at Laurel Park. Then he put on white gloves with the words “Anna’s Bandit” written in red on them.

“These gloves have not been used since [Anna’s Bandit] retired,” Perez said. “I got them out for her and for him.”

He then climbed aboard the two-year-old Tartabull, found a seam along the rail and rallied in the lane to triumph by half a length in a Maryland restricted special weight contest.

“I don’t know if you could hear me, but when I hit the wire I screamed like I won the Classic,” Perez said afterwards.

Tartabull, by Tapit, is the first foal of Anna’s Bandit, the Great Notion mare who won 17 races and earned more than $800,000 for trainer Jerry Robb and his wife Gina’s No Guts No Glory Farm. Perez was in the irons for 14 of those wins; hence the scream, the gloves and the Anna’s Bandit tattoo on his arm.

“She never disappointed me, even if she ran a bad race,” Perez said of Anna’s Bandit. “She’s in my heart. And she’s on the farm; I can visit her whenever I want.”

The win was Tartabull’s first in three career outings. He had previously been badly beaten when he finished third and then fifth in a pair of maiden specials at Saratoga. The winners of those two races, Ewing and Talkin, had returned to take first in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and second in the Grade 1 Champagne, respectively.

So the class reduction offered today had to be an advantage. And trainer Chad Summers made an interesting decision that may have helped Tartabull get used to his new surroundings: He sent Tartabull to Jerry Robb’s barn a week ago, where Perez’s wife, Jessica Lindsey, is a top assistant.

“Tartabull is actually in Anna’s stable,” Lindsey said, laughing. “Because we are not superstitious at all.”

In addition to Perez’s gloves, Lindsey wore an Anna’s Bandit jacket. Both have Anna’s Bandit tattoos.

The extra time in Maryland likely helped Tartabull get used to his new surroundings. And it helped people get used to him.

“He’s a guy,” Lindsey said. “He’s very handsome. Anna was very nice, we worked for her. ‘Yes, good morning. Glad you’re here. I need snacks. You can go now.’ She is the queen.”

“He’s got a lot of personality,” Perez chimed in. “It’s good that he picked that up from his mother.”

Punters made starter Pont Aven the even-money favorite, and he featured prominently throughout. Under JG Torrealba, Phil Capuano’s trainee upped the pace between the rivals, with long shot Vida the early leader, while Caseofthemondays put three wide.

Perez was able to save ground for much of the journey before steering his mount around the tiring Vida. He returned to the rail and charged in to take the win, with Caseofthemondays finishing second, well ahead of Pont Aven. Vida faded to sixth place.

The running time for the six furlongs on a fast main track was 1:12.82.

“He showed talent today, buried behind horses, and coming through the rail like that showed he was brave,” Perez said.

Tartabull paid $8.60 to win, and the one-dollar exacta returned $12.40. Tartabull is now one-in-three with profits of over $47,000.

Lindsey and Perez were there when Tartabull was born, the first foal of one of the most important runners of their lives, and it was an emotional boost to have Tartabull where Anna’s Bandit lived for so long. Now, Lindsey says, there’s something else.

“We need you to convince Chad [Summers] to let him stay for the Maryland [Juvenile Stakes on Dec. 6]she told reporters, laughing. “So work your magic.”