Tarpy's Goal takes the OBS Sophomore S.

Tarpy's Goal returned from a brief freshening to notch his first career stakes win in the $75,000, seven-furlong Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore S. April 7 at Tampa Bay Downs. The 3-year-old son of Ocala Stud sire High Cotton  had been working steadily since his fifth-place finish Feb. 11 in the Grade 2 Hutcheson S. at Gulfstream.

In midpack down the backstretch, Tarpy’s Goal rallied through the stretch under Tampa Bay Downs' leading jockey Leandro Goncalves to post a one-length victory from Midnight Serenade in a time of 1:23.52.

Bred by Chad R. Schumer and Nancy Sexton, Tarpy’s Goal won for the third time in nine lifetime starts. Last July, he finished third in the Grade 2 Futurity S. at Belmont. He has the distinction of being  his sire’s first winner, last May at Churchill Downs.

Tarpy’s Goal is owned by Mike Tarp, a winter resident of Spring Hill, Fla. from Calgary, Alberta. The dark bay colt has now earned $129,849.

“They (Tarp and trainer Dale Romans) told me he would put in a late run and he sure did,” Goncalves said. “There were a bunch of them going quick up front so I was glad to be behind the lead group. I asked for run going into the turn, but a horse came up outside and I had to wait and then we got pushed wide entering the stretch. But as soon as we had a clear run he just fired up and was really moving at the end.
“He had to be dead fit to run that kind of race.”

Romans picked out the colt at the Fasig-Tipton Florida March Sale of 2-year-olds in training last year. He was a $70,000 purchase.

“He has done very well for us,” Tarp said. “He had plenty of run, and it is doubly exciting when you are the owner. He is a pretty fine colt.

“He has some big races ahead of him. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the year with him; it will be Dale’s decision where he goes next, but he is looking really good right now. I think we will be pointing at stakes races, most likely at Churchill Downs.”