Monday, October 7, 2024
After only 3 days . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved for a $78,282 jackpot payoff Sunday at Gulfstream Park. The multi-race wager had gone unsolved for only three days following a mandatory payout.

    There was a jackpot carryover of $36,944 going into Rainbow 6 wagering Sunday. The sequence will start anew Friday.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Scottish Lassie captures Gr. I Frizette . . .

    Flanagan Racing’s Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie – Bernadreamy), last in the early going of the $500,000, Gr. I Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct, circled the field in the five path, took charge a sixteenth from home and eased away to score by 2 3/4 lengths. Fellow OBS Spring Sale graduate Mo Plex ( Complexity – Mo Joy) checked in third.

    Chancer McPatrick is three for three with two Gr. I victories for trainer Chad Brown, has earned $495,000 and a slot in the gate in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Consigned by Caliente Thoroughbreds to the 2024 OBS Spring Sale, she turned in an Under Tack quarter in :21 flat and was purchased by Kimmel & Sallusto, Agent, for $725,000.

    Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, Corms Racing Stable and Jorge R. Abreu’s Scottish Lassie (McKinzie – Bodebabe) went into the $400,000, Gr. I Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct a maiden and came back a Gr. I stakes- winner with an invitation to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The 2-year-old daughter of McKinzie tracked the leaders from third, took over after turning for home and drew away in the stretch to win by nine lengths. Consigned to the 2024 OBS March Sale by Gene Recio, Agent, she was sold for $85,000 to Parkland Thoroughbreds after breezing an Under Tack quarter in :21 flat. 

    West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey’s millionaire Carson’s Run (Cupid – Hot N Hectic), last early in the $500,000, Gr. III Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct, rallied wide on the turn and into the stretch, took command a furlong out and was best by three quarters of a length. It’s the third stakes win for the 3-year-old son of Cupid trained by Christophe Clement, now 9-5-2-0 with $1,574,629 in earnings. At the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he was purchased for $170,000 out of the Randy Miles consignment after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5.

Saturday, October 5, 2024
He's now headed for Keeneland . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Paco Lopez moved to within one victory of the 4,000-win career milestone during a one-day stopover Friday at Gulfstream Park, notching Win No. 3,999 aboard Asher’s Edge ($2.60) in Race 3.

    The 38-year-old is scheduled to ride this weekend at Keeneland to continue his quest for 4,000.

    Lopez had five mounts on Friday’s nine-race program and started his day with a fourth-place finish aboard Cajun Fool in Race 2. After scoring aboard Asher’s Edge in Race 3, he finished fourth on Roscoe Village in Race 5, fifth on Nando in Race 6 and fourth on Forwardly in Race 8.

    Lopez, who notched a Breeders’ Cup victory aboard Roy H in the 2018 Sprint at Churchill Downs, has ridden the winners of more than $150 million in purses.

Thursday, October 3, 2024
He has 5 mounts on the card . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Just two wins away from the 4,000-win milestone, jockey Paco Lopez has five scheduled mounts on Friday’s nine-race program at Gulfstream Park.

    The 38-year-old South Florida mainstay, who rode three winners Wednesday at Parx, is slated to ride two morning-line favorites from his five mounts Friday at Gulfstream Park before moving on to Keeneland for the weekend.

    Lopez, a Veracruz, Mexico native who rode his first winner at Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, FL in 2007, has enjoyed many of his career highlights at Gulfstream Park, including his first graded-stakes victory aboard Smooth Air in the 2009 Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2), currently the Gulfstream Park Mile, and a Grade 1-stakes success aboard Lukes Alley in the 2016 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, currently contested as the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1). He won his first Grade 1 race aboard Itsmyluckyday in the 2014 Woodward after guiding the Eddie Plesa Jr. trainee to victory in the Gulfstream Park Derby the year pr
ior.


            Lopez, who won the 2008 Eclipse Award as North America’s champion apprentice while riding in South Florida, will get his day started Friday in Race 2 aboard Cajun Fool, the 6-5 morning-line favorite in a field of seven. The Luis Ramirez-trained son of Cajun Breeze will make his second start at the $8000 claiming level for non-winners of two lifetime while cutting back from seven to six-furlongs.

            Lopez will come right back in Race 3, a five-furlong maiden special weight event for Florida-bred 3-year-olds on Tapeta, aboard Asher’s Edge, the 6-5 morning-line favorite in a field of seven. The David Fawkes-trained Asher’s Edge is coming off back-to-back photo-finish runner-up finishes.

            Lopez is named aboard Roscoe Village, rated second at 3-1 on the morning-line in a field of eight, in Race 5, a 1 1/16-mile $30,000 filly & mare claimer on turf. Fernando Abreu-trained Roscoe Village, who drops from optional claiming allowance company, will challenge Jose D’Angelo-trained Catholika, the 2-1 morning-line favorite who is dropping from an even effort in the Miss Gracie Stakes.


            The fan-favorite rider will try to light up the toteboard following Race 6, a six-furlong maiden special weight sprint for 3-year-olds and up, aboard Abreu-trained Nando, rated 12-1 in a field of eight. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained God’s Timing, a debuting 3-year-old son of Catalina Cruiser, is rated as the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

            Lopez will finish his one-day stopover at Gulfstream aboard Forwardly in Race 8, a mile run for 3-year-olds and up non-winners of three racing for an $8000 claiming price. Fawkes-trained Forwardly is rated second at 2-1 on the morning line coming off a second-place finish behind Starship Mocha, Friday’s even-money favorite who registered a front-running victory in their most recent encounter. Lopez was aboard Forwardly during his last visit to Gulfstream.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Harold Queen's star earned more than $875,000 . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Multiple stakes-winning 9-year-old gelding Noble Drama, who thrilled fans for six seasons with his dramatic late-running style, has been retired from racing.

    Gulfstream Park-based owner-trainer David Fawkes made the decision after Noble Drama, bred in Florida by Harold Queen, breezed three furlongs in :37.05 seconds on Sept. 22. It was the first timed work for the son of Gone Astray since May 10, which came six days before what would be his final start.

    “Mr. Queen gave him to me a little over a year ago and I won one race with him. He ran huge. Then he just kind of got quiet on me and wasn’t performing the way he should,” Fawkes said. “So, we kicked him out for a little while and brought him back. Those older horses, they never have hard bone problems, and he just got a little thick in his legs. He’s 9 years old, and I just wasn’t going to do that to him. I just thought it was time. He’s been great to all of us.”

    Helping in the decision-making process was a win that Noble Drama had during his 2-year-old season, the 2018 FTBOA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, which included a certain long-range condition.

    “About four months ago, Sherry Queen, one of Harold’s daughters, reminded me that he won a ‘Win and You’re In’ for Old Friends, so I called them on [Sept. 23] and they were thrilled. They said, ‘This is great. We’re so happy to have him,’” Fawkes said. “It’s a great deal.

     “He’s still here. He may be here for two months. They said they’d call me when they’ve got an opening,” he said. “We’re glad to have him around. We’ll unwind him here and I might put the tack on him and shedrow him just to let him do something.”

    Noble Drama earned nine of his 10 career wins at Gulfstream, including stakes victories in the 2018 and 2020 Wildcat Heir, 2020 Sunshine Classic and Benny the Bull, and 2021 My Name’s Jimmy and City of Dania handicaps. His last win came in a one-mile optional claiming allowance on Nov. 12 at Gulfstream, where he ran last for four furlongs and trailed by as many as 10 ¾ lengths before making his familiar late run to get up by a half-length.

    “He won a bunch of races here. He was a little one-dimensional, but he still made a lot of money. And he made the races exciting. He was great to watch run,” Fawkes said. “I really wanted to make him a millionaire, and he was so close. He was a lot of fun, and he was so easy. He never had a thing wrong. He had ice cold legs every single day of his career, so when you get any sign of anything it’s just time to stop.”

    Noble Drama retires with 10 wins, 12 seconds, six thirds and $876,562 in earnings from 48 lifetime starts. In addition to his victories he placed in 11 other stakes and faced graded competition four times, his best finish being a fourth in the one-mile, Gr. III Fred Hooper last winter Gulfstream.

    “He’s so kind. People go in and put hats on him, and he likes to sit there and eat carrots all day long. He’s a very friendly horse,” Fawkes said. “If I didn’t already have Posse, my pony, who I have now and has been good to us for 20 years, Noble would be here. He had that [Old Friends] certificate, so we decided to take advantage of it. He deserves it. He’s been great, great fun.”