Tappan Street Returns in Style, With the Pegasus Looming on the Horizon

In his comeback, the colt who defeated Sovereignty in the latest Florida Derby (G1) successfully shook off a long layoff

Tappan Street didn’t have it easy, but he got the job done / ADAM COGLIANESE

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (Special to Turf Diario).— Without any fireworks but with the authority of a colt of genuine quality, Tappan Street returned to the winner’s circle Friday at Gulfstream Park, posting a workmanlike victory that meant far more than the bare result. The hero of the most recent Florida Derby reappeared after more than seven months on the sidelines and made it clear that his road back to the elite is already underway.

The son of Into Mischief, racing for WinStar Farm, CHC Inc. and Cold Press Racing, scored by a length in an optional claiming allowance over one mile. It was a carefully chosen return spot by trainer Brad Cox following the condylar fracture he sustained in May while preparing for the Kentucky Derby (G1).

With Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, Tappan Street showed from the outset that he was ready. He broke cleanly, settled just off the pace set by Steppe, and traveled smoothly throughout, never expending more energy than necessary. When Ortiz asked him to quicken turning for home, the bay responded willingly, edging clear late to stop the clock in 1:36.22—an effort that impressed more for its professionalism than its raw time.

“It’s really good to have him back,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar’s CEO and racing manager. “He’s a big, strong horse, and he needed this race. Now we’ll see how he comes out of it.” His comments carried added weight when he left the door open to a lofty next target: the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, scheduled for Jan. 24, again at Gulfstream.

Cox echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that this was the ideal scenario for a comeback. “He’s a good horse, and this was the right race for him to come back in,” the conditioner noted. “At this stage, he didn’t need anything tougher.”

The performance only reinforced what Tappan Street had already shown during the 2024–25 Championship Meet at Gulfstream, where he won on debut, finished second in the Holy Bull (G2), and reached the pinnacle with his Florida Derby upset of Sovereignty—an effort that briefly placed him among the leading lights of his generation before injury intervened.

Now, with the first step successfully taken, Tappan Street turns his gaze forward once again. The return was encouraging, the engine remains intact, and the biggest races are back on the table. How far he can go will be determined in the weeks ahead—but the comeback has officially begun.