Great Navigator Is Sea Wizard’s First Black-Type Winner

Holly Crest Farm’s homebred Great Navigator  delivered the first black-type stakes winner for his sire Sea Wizard   Sept. 4.

The 3-year-old dark brown or bay colt won the Charles Hesse III Handicap at Monmouth Park, taking the lead at the quarter pole before dominating the field with a 10-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile dirt challenge with Jairo Rendon in the irons. 

Out of the Stephen Got Even mare All Even , the New Jersey-bred Great Navigator improved to 2-2-2 from six starts this year with $165,807 in earnings. For his career, the Eddie Owens Jr. trainee is 3-3-2 in eight starts with $249,107 in winnings. 

Great Navigator broke his maiden on first asking last year and followed that with a second in the Sanford Stakes (G3) in his second career start.

Sea Wizard, bred in Kentucky by R. Alex Rankin, R. Lenihan, and P. Lenihan, was lightly raced. The son of Uncle Mo   ran twice, breaking his maiden on second asking after finishing second the first time out. Sea Wizard is owned by Mac Nichol and was trained by John Mazza.