Governor Sam First Stakes Winner for Late Improbable

Locked in a nose-to-nose duel for the final sixteenth of a mile, Governor Sam  was able to prevail at the wire for a neck victory over Jet Sweep Joe  Aug. 3 in the $100,000 Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park, becoming the first black-type stakes winner for WinStar Farm’s late stallion Improbable.

The winning time for the five furlongs over a turf course listed as firm was :56.15.

Owned by Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman’s Bregman Family Racing and Swinbank Stables, Governor Sam followed his maiden special weight score at Saratoga Race Course two weeks ago with the Tyro win.

Ridden by Paco Lopez for trainer George Weaver, Governor Sam paid $2.60 to win in the field of six 2-year-olds.

“I did not really like the trip,” said Lopez. “He’s a fighting horse and (Jet Sweep Joe) made us fight.”

Improbable, a son of City Zip who was also raced by WinStar in partnership with CHC and SF Racing, won seven of 15 starts for earnings of $2,729,520 in his three seasons on the track. A grade 1 winner at age 2 and 4, Improbable won three consecutive grade 1s in 2020 en route to being named Eclipse champion older dirt male.

Improbable was euthanized March 16 after suffering from ataxia that caused him to fall and fracture his right tibia.