TAPIT registered another impressive juvenile winner on Sunday when the Gary and Mary West homebred Rancho Santa Fe won an Ellis Park Maiden Special Weight by an easy 1 ¾ lengths.
Kicking his career off in the one-mile dirt race, Rancho Santa Fe wasn’t the fastest out of the gate but quickly raced to join the front group with another one well behind them. Racing farthest outside of that first group, the TAPIT colt steadily moved to the front to confront the leader at the start of the far turn.
Building a lead around the turn, he had multiple lengths on the field in the stretch. The colt only felt the whip a few times with jockey Florent Geroux mostly giving him a hand ride to a deceivingly small 1 ¾ length margin.
.@joeydakracing is going out with a bang on closing day! Another top pick winner at a price of 7/1! 💥
Rancho Santa Fe is winner on debut in R7 at @ellisparkracing for trainer @bradcoxracing with @flothejock aboard!
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/ZDh5fpLlo2
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 24, 2025
Trained by Brad Cox, the colt is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Heroic Move and five-time winner Family Tradition from the two other named foals out of Grade 2 winner Family Tree. That mare is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placedd Liora and out of stakes winner Giant Mover.
This is also the family of the Grade 1 winners Dance Teacher, Hootenanny Ascend, Vahva, and Roadster.
TAPIT is the sire of five juvenile winners in 2025 with the crop also striking at 14.29% stakes performers to runners. His two stakes performers is the second most of any North American sire in 2025.