It took a little bit for Tuskegee Airmen to find his stride, but once he did there was no stopping him as he closed determinedly along the inside rail to win the Rocky Run Stakes at Delaware Park by three-and-a-quarter lengths on Saturday, 15 October.
The two-year-old Street Sense colt, who was making his Stakes debut in the Rocky Run, remains perfect in two career starts.
Tuskegee Airmen broke alertly and raced in off the pace in fourth, while stuck racing four-wide through the opening half-mile. Heading into the far turn, jockey Paco Lopez began asking more of his charge while shifting Tuskegee Airmen to the inside rail. Under a vigorous ride by Lopez, Tuskegee Airmen began to close on the leader, Midnight Trouble, eventually putting that rival away in deep stretch and drawing off for a convincing victory.
Bred in Kentucky by Nice Guys Stable, Tuskegee Airmen is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare, Lucky Cover. Second dam is multiple Graded Stakes winner, Teammate (by A.P. Indy), who has also produced Stakes winner, Team of Teams (Elusive Quality) and the multiple Stakes-placed runners Team Colors (Street Cry) and Seven Away (Oxbow). Also in the immediate family are multiple Stakes winners Starry Dreamer, North Dakota and War Front.
In addition to Tuskegee Airmen, Street Sense is the sire of recent Graded Stakes winner Cazadero, winner of the G2 Nearctic Stakes and Speaker’s Corner, dominating winner of the G1 Carter Handicap and new addition to the 2023 Darley stallion roster. Additional Stakes winners include Australia Mia, winner of the G2 Clasico Carlos Campino in Chile, three-time Stakes winner Home Brew, Heaven Street (Listed Columbia Stakes), Whelen Springs and Hollis.
