Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Wins Harlan's Holiday by a head . . .
    Daniel Alonso’s multiple graded stakes-winner, Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator – Twinkling, by War Chant) fought off a stretch-long challenge to prevail by a head in the $150,000, Gr. III Harlan’s Holiday at Gulfstream Park, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    With the victory, the 6-year-old horse earned a berth for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 24. The son of Exaggerator, who also captured the 2022 Harlan’s Holiday, notched his 10th graded stakes victory during a career in which he’s earned more than $3.7 million under the care of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

    “He’s 6 going on 7, but trust me, his works were as good as he ever worked, and we were quietly optimistic that he would run well,” Joseph told Gulfstream Park publicity. “But you never know. I think you have to ride the horse patient. I think that’s one of the keys to him.”

    Skippylongstocking was purchased by Alonso for $37,000 out of the Top Line Sales consignment at the 2021 OBS April Sale after breezing an eighth in :10 2/5.

    The Dec. 20 card at Gulfstream Park also saw Ms. Bucchero (Bucchero-Give Glory to God, by Mutakddim), owned and trained by Diane Morici, rally along the inside down the stretch to win the $125,000 Sugar Swirl, a race where five of the six entrants were OBS grads.

    Nic’s Style was second while favorite and defending race winner Mystic Lake was third.

    A 5-year-old mare by OBS grad and leading New York sire Bucchero, Ms. Bucchero was an RNA from the consignment of Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds at the 2022 OBS April Sale after breezing in 10.0.

    At Laurel Park, Golden Lion Racing’s Complexity Jane (Complexity –Bestinthebusiness, by Ghostzapper) displayed determination to score the victory in the $100,000 Carousel Stakes.
Trained by Brittany Russell, the daughter of Complexity was purchased by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds for $170,000 at the 2024 OBS March Sale from the Scanlon Training & Sales consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

    At Turfway Park, WinStar Farm’s Canadian champion Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach – Belatrix, by Giant’s Causeway) proved much the best in the $219,000 My Charmer Stakes.
Trained by Kevin Attard, Caitlinhergrtness became racing’s newest millionaire with earnings of $1,071,569. Her overall record stands at 17-6-4-2. Last year’s King’s Plate winner was consigned by Off the Hook to the 2023 OBS April Sale where she sold for $375,000 to Maverick Racing & Siena Farms after breezing in :10 flat.

    At Oaklawn Park, Randy Patterson, Sam M. Vogel and Joe Morgan’s Dreaminblue (Street Boss-Dreamy Blues, by Curlin) made a three-wide move approaching the quarter pole before drawing off down the lane to win the $135,000 Silks Overnight Stakes by three lengths.

    Trained by Randy Morse, Dreaminblue stopped the clock in 1:09.10, the quickest of the first four days of the 2025-2026 Oaklawn season. He was purchased by Patterson for $120,000 at the 2024 OBS June Sale from the McKathan Bros. Sales consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.
Sunday, December 21, 2025
He's won 8 in a row . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Robert Cotran’s Rezasrolex collected his eighth straight victory Friday at Gulfstream Park with a front-running performance in Race 5, a five-furlong optional claiming allowance on turf.

    The 4-year-old son of multiple Gr. II winner Bucchero entered the race off seven consecutive victories over Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta surface.

    “Today was the turf test. He’s by Bucchero. He’s a stallion I love. I knew he’d turf. He’d run one time [on turf] at Belterra with a 40 Beyer. It’s apples and oranges,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “The horse is doing great. He’s keeping himself together. I stop when it’s time to stop on him. I’ve given him time off before. He’ s doing great.”

    Rezasrolex ($4.60), a Florida-bred gelding who was claimed for $18,000 by his current connections out of his Gulfstream debut in December of 2023, went right to the front under Edgard Zayas and held off a late drive from favored Poseidon’s Law by a neck in the non-winners-of-one optional claiming allowance.

    “We’re going to have to figure out his next step. Now he’s a two-other-than. There’s some stakes coming up,” Orseno said. “He’s just a neat horse and we’re keeping him happy.” Since being claimed out of a winning Gulfstream debut for trainer Bill Morey in his third career race, Rezasrolex has won 10 of 13 for Cotran and Orseno.

Sunday, December 21, 2025
Money to come from FBIF funds . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Gulfstream Park announced Friday it will increase purses of maiden special weight, allowance, and open stakes races using money from the Florida-Bred Incentive Fund (FBIF) beginning Jan. 1.

    Gulfstream has increased the FBIF from $5,000 to $10,000 for all maiden special weight and allowance races, increased maiden optional claimers from $43,000 to $50,000, and added $25,000 to all open stakes purses of $150,000 or less.

    Stephen Screnci, President, 1/ST Racing, said additional FBIF money will be used in the months ahead.

    “The FBIF funds have allowed Gulfstream Park to continue offering Florida-bred restricted races through the Championship Meet. For the last Championship Meet we paid out approximately $1.3 million.” Screnci said.  

        
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Both veterans have saddled 4 winners . . .

    OLDSMAR - A pair of familiar names are off to quick starts in the training ranks this season.

    Tom Proctor, who trains for Ocala's Glen Hill Farm, sent out his fourth winner from seven starters in Wednesday’s sixth race on the turf as 4-5 favorite Wrigleyville posted a front-running, 3 ¼-length victory over Expecting a Winner. Wrigleyville, a 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief out of Glen Hill’s multiple-Gr. I winner Marketing Mix, toured the 1-mile distance in 1:37.58. She was ridden by leading jockey Samuel Marin.

    Proctor, the son of the late training great Willard Proctor, has saddled more than 1,400 winners. He is perhaps best known as the conditioner of Glen Hills' One Dreamer, upset winner of the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs.

    J. David Braddy, a two-time leading trainer at Tampa Bay Downs in 1983-84 and 1986-87 (tied with Norm Wismer), is 4-for-6 with one second after Rancho Vista’s runner-up effort to Unicycle in Wednesday’s seventh race, a 7-furlong claiming event. Rancho Vista was claimed from the outing, as was Braddy’s two-time winner Long Gone Sally on Dec. 12. Each of Braddy’s winners was owned by Joel W. Sainer. Braddy is closing in on 1,100 career victories.

    Marin and Ademar Santos each rode two winners on the card. In addition to his victory on Wrigleyville, Marin captured the eighth race aboard Blaze of Color, a 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by JC Racing Stable and trained by Jose M. Castro.

    Santos won the fourth and fifth races back-to-back. He scored in the fourth on Pando, a 5-year-old gelding owned by Happy Tenth Stable and trained by Tony Wilson. Pando was claimed from the victory for $5,000 by owner-trainer Ron G. Potts.

    Santos won the fifth with Battle Warrior, a 3-year-old gelding owned by Mellon Patch Inc., and trained by Michael Campbell.

   

Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Dates will be moved to Thursdays . . .

    OLDSMAR - Tampa Bay Downs has tweaked its 2025-26 racing calendar, while maintaining a 90-day schedule.

    Sunday racing, originally scheduled to begin Dec. 21, will get underway Jan. 4. The “lost” dates (Dec. 21 and 28) will be made up on Thursday, Feb. 5 and Thursday, Feb. 12.

    Tampa Bay Downs currently races on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. With the exception of Christmas, Dec. 25, when the track will be closed in its entirety, Tampa Bay Downs is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.

    Friday, Dec. 26 is Calendar Day, with the first 5,000 patrons through the gates receiving the 2026 edition free of charge (with paid admission). The theme is the track’s centennial celebration, and a sneak peek reveals the calendar is an artistic triumph, with pictures from the track’s beginning years blending into more recent yet similar photographs. Gates will open at 11 a.m.

    Racing continues Wednesday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:20 p.m.