Frac Dancer dazzles in Texas Glitter at Gulfstream for DePaulo

A grey colt, bred and sired in Ontario and trained by Mike DePaulo, was thoroughly prepared to claim victory in the 5-furlong stakes race, maintaining its unbeaten record.

Trainer and co-owner Mike DePaulo expressed his satisfaction when the $100,000 Texas Glitter Stakes transitioned from turf to Tapeta at Gulfstream Park on March 23. DePaulo had enrolled the Ontario-sired and -bred grey colt, Frac Dancer, in the 5-furlong turf race. However, with the surface change, the two morning line favourites were scratched.

The previous year's Clarendon Stakes victor, bred by Phoenix Racing and co-owned by DePaulo, alongside his son Joseph, Lou Donato's Newtop Stable, and John Russell, found himself in a comfortable lead, maintaining a brisk pace with an opening two furlongs clocked at 21.31 and reaching the half-mile mark in a swift 43.86. Guided by jockey Emisael Jaramillo, Frac Dancer surged ahead towards the top of the stretch as challengers closed in. Responding to Jaramillo's prompt, the son of Frac Daddy showed his spirit, fending off Runnin' Rocket by a half-length. With a time of 55.63, Frac Dancer achieved a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

Frac Dancer secured his third consecutive victory with the Texas Glitter triumph, following wins in his debut at Woodbine on Oct. 15 and his Clarendon success. Earnings of $61,830 from the Texas Glitter boosted his career winnings to $156,998. Frac Dancer is sired by Frac Daddy, who held the title of the leading active sire of Two-Year-Old winners in Canada for the year 2023.

"We initially planned to run on the turf, but we were definitely pleased with the surface change," DePaulo remarked. "I wasn't particularly aiming to lead, but I left it up to [Jaramillo]. They set a brisk pace, clocking 21 and change. I thought, 'uh oh,' but the track was likely a bit quicker," DePaulo added.

Frac Dancer boasts a rich maternal lineage stretching back to his fourth dam, Renounce, sired by Buckpasser. Renounce, delivered over a dozen foals for Ogden Mills Phillips, including resilient stakes winners Disclaim and Waitlist. Renounce also birthed Baltic Sea, an Ontario-bred offspring of Danzig, bred by Bob Anderson. Baltic Sea, in turn, birthed around 17 foals, notably including multiple graded stakes winner Caller One, who collected over $3.2 million in earnings and clinched the Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2002. Baltic Sea also produced Unbridled Sidney, a stakes winner and earner of $680,000, as well as Grade 2 winner Prospect Bay and stakes-placed Silver Dollar Kids. Frac Dancer's ancestry traces back to Baltic Sea's 2002 foal, Fiery Pegasus, making Frac Dancer his second dam. Additionally, Frac Dancer's dam, Dancing on Fire, clinched victory in the Rainbow Connection Stakes at Fort Erie, and Frac Dancer marks her inaugural racing foal.

Looking ahead, Frac Dancer is likely set to compete in the Woodstock Stakes at Woodbine on April 28th.