First winner for Evie Stockwell's homebred Breeders' Cup hero Hit It A Bomb

Chris Drakos and Ryan Hanson's Weston became the first winner for Spendthrift Farm's Hit It A Bomb when he turned in a decisive one and a quarter-length victory in a $51,500 maiden special weight at Santa Anita Park on Sunday.

Trained by Hanson and ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Weston broke slowly in the field of eight juveniles. He quickly made up ground by cutting between horses before being angled to the inside and was in front by a half-length as the quarter mile went in :22.49.

Exiting the turn, Weston continued to inch away from the pack and extended his lead to three lengths at the top of the stretch. Van Dyke urged the gelding forward in the stretch as a fast-moving Ambivalent drove home to challenge late.

Although Ambivalent managed to chip away a chuck of his leading margin, Weston held on gamely to cross the wire clear. The final time for the four and a half-furlong dirt sprint was :52.27 on a fast track.

Weston was bred in Kentucky by EVADI Farm Team out of the multiple stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Elke. The gelding was purchased by Drakos for $7,000 from the consignment of Dromoland Farm to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Hit It A Bomb, a son of War Front out of the Group 3 winner Liscanna, was a homebred raced by Evie Stockwell and trained by Aidan O'Brien. Undefeated in three starts at two, he won the Star Appeal Stakes before taking the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

He is a full-brother to Brave Anna, the winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket and the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Hit It A Bomb was retired with a record of three wins from seven starts and earned £404,577 in prize-money. He joined the Spendthrift Farm roster in 2017 and stood for a fee of $5,000 for the 2020 breeding season.

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