Thursday, March 28, 2024
Fierceness 3-1 on Florida Derby line . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Courtlandt Farms’ Conquest Warrior will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa in only his fourth career start, and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey couldn’t be happier with the son of City of Light’s preparation for the 1 1/8-mile Triple Crown prep.    

    “I feel good. We’ve had two good races here and I still have a pretty fresh horse. He’s trained good over it,” McGaughey said. “He’s had a race going a mile and an eighth here, which he handled, obviously, very easily. He came out of it good. I don’t think we took anything out of him.”

    Conquest Warrior is rated second on the morning line at 3-1 behind Fierceness, the 2023 juvenile champion who has been installed at 8-5 for the 73rd running of the Curlin Florida Derby, which will headline a 14-race program with 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.425 million. The $1 million purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September sale finished third over a muddy Aqueduct track following a slow start in his Dec. 2 debut at seven furlongs. He graduated Jan. 13 after rallying from far back in a one-turn mile maiden special weight event at Gulfstream, where he came back to capture a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance by five lengths.


    “He learned a lot back at Aqueduct in the fall, and when he broke his maiden here, he kind of smashed away from the gate and got in a little trouble at the three-eighths pole. He was able to overcome it. The race here the other day, I thought was a really good race going a mile and an eighth,” McGaughey said. “I was a little bit worried about going that far after only two starts, but if I was going to run in the Florida Derby, that’s what I was going to have to do. I thought he handled it really well. He’s a very smart, straightforward horse, so he’s been able to overcome his problems.”

    McGaughey saddled Orb for a Florida Derby win in 2013. The son of Malibu Moon, who went on to capture the Kentucky Derby, had considerably more experience than Conquest Warrior going into the Florida Derby, having won a 1 1/8-mile allowance at Gulfstream in his fifth career start before capturing the G. II Fountain of Youth.

    In addition to clashing with Fierceness, Conquest Warrior will meet Gr. III Holy Bul winner Hades in the Curlin Florida Derby.

    “It is a big step up. He’s going from a non-winners-of-one allowance race to a Grade 1 in the Florida Derby,” McGaughey acknowledged. “He’s meeting some pretty challenging horses, but it’s time to see if we’re going to go on down the road the way we hope to. He’s going to have to show up Saturday in the Florida Derby. It will be a nice test for him. There’s some nice horses in there. They’ve all been running in top-class races against some really nice horses.”

    Nevertheless, Conquest Warrior is the only horse in the field of 11 3-year-olds that has won at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Curlin Florida Derby.

    “I think he’s a true router – a mile and an eighth and even farther,” McGaughey said. “One of the good things about him is you can do what you want with him. He’s got a really, really good mind." Jose Ortiz returns on Conquest Warrior Saturday.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Expects Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to rebound . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Jockey John Velazquez isn’t sure why Repole Stable’s champion Fierceness disappointed when finishing third Feb. 3 when making his 3-year-old debut in the Gr. III Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park. But Velazquez doesn’t question the potential of the colt leading up to Saturday’s $1 Million Curlin Florida Derby having won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November aboard him by 6 1 /4 lengths.

    “I can’t pinpoint why he didn’t run his race [in the Holy Bull],’’ Velazquez said. “But if he shows up [Saturday] the way he did in the Breeders’ Cup…. come on.”

    Velazquez, winner of the Florida Derby a record five times, sat down with Gulfstream host and analyst Ron Nicoletti earlier this week to talk about Fierceness and his Breeders’ Cup and Holy Bull performances, the colt’s recent works, and what it means to win the Florida Derby.
Monday, March 25, 2024
Paco Lopez wins 4 times, 3 stakes . . .

    OLDSMAR - Chamber of Commerce weather – clear skies, temperatures in the 70s and enough wind to keep things interesting – greeted a crowd of 3,720 enthusiastic racegoers to Tampa Bay Downs Sunday for the 21st annual Florida Cup, a collection of six $110,000 stakes races for registered Florida-breds. 

    While the turf course was listed as “good” rather than firm for the first time since the 2013 Florida Cup, horsemen, jockeys and track officials praised the efforts of the track maintenance crew for their preparation of both the turf and dirt track after considerable rain the previous two days.

    In short, the stage was perfectly set for products of the state’s Thoroughbred industry to put on a first-class show, and they didn’t disappoint.

    Jockey Paco Lopez was the star of the afternoon’s competition, winning the last three Florida Cup races, including a stakes-record performance on 5-year-old gelding Forever Souper in the ESMARK Turf Classic. But, as always, the Thoroughbreds captured the public’s imagination, striving for excellence with those qualities of determination and courage that have long stamped the industry in the Sunshine State.

ESMARK TURF CLASSIC

    About the last thing Lopez expected from 5-year-old gelding Forever Souper was a stakes record after two days of rain soaked the Oldsmar turf, turning it to “good” rather than firm for the Florida Cup for the first time in 11 years. But the electronic timer didn’t lie: Forever Souper ran the mile-and-an-eighth in 1:46.87, bettering the former mark of 1:47 flat set in 2010 by Picou. Forever Souper’s time was .61 seconds off Hall of Fame member Tepin’s course record for the distance.

    “Oh, wow. Really? I didn’t know that,” Lopez said with a wide smile. “(Trainer) Michael (Trombetta) had him ready, and the horse did it very well. I had plenty of horse today.”

    The victory was the second Florida Stakes triumph on the card for Trombetta and breeder-owner Live Oak, the legendary Ocala showcase of Charlotte C. Weber. Forever Souper’s triumph happened the fifth in the ESMARK Turf Classic for Live Oak Plantation, a mark it also reached in the Equistaff Sophomore Turf earlier on the card with Crystal Quest.
    
    Happyisasdhappydoes set a measured pace under Antonio Gallardo and appeared dangerous on the backside, at least until Lopez asked Forever Souper to get going. The rider angled him to the outside for the stretch run, and from there he posted a convincing length-and-a-quarter victory from Happyisashappydoes, with Me and Mr. C finishing third.

    “I wasn’t really worried (about Happisashappydoes) stealing the race, because it’s a long stretch and I had plenty of horse,” Lopez said.

    The son of American Pharoah-Mighty Souper, by War Front, paid $3.00 to win as the wagering favorite. He is 6-for-13 lifetime, having won the Sunshine Turf Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 21 in his previous start. First-place earnings of $60,000 boosted his career figure to $272,255.

    Trombetta was ecstatic about Forever Souper’s performance. “We are very fond of him. He's been a lot of fun,” Trombetta said via telephone. “He's a cool cat, this horse. It would be awfully hard to beat Tepin's course record, but the stakes record is really great.

    “We were looking forward to this race with him. After the last race at Gulfstream, there just wasn't enough room in the schedule to try to squeeze another race in that would make sense. I figured, you know what? We'll just point him to this race and give him plenty of time. He came through really well. Paco rides this horse really well and (Forever Souper) seems to run right out from underneath him.”

STONEHEDGE FARM SOUTH SOPHOMORE FILLIES

    Expectations were high among the connections of Mystic Lake entering the race, and the daughter of Mo Town-Salty Soul, by Itsmyluckyday, didn’t disappoint. She moved to the lead shortly after the start and was never threatened, with Edgard Zayas riding high in the saddle until asking for her best at the quarter-mile pole. The result was a 3 ½-length victory from Girvin’s Princess in a time of 1:23.37 for the 7-furlong distance. Hopesndreams finished third in the six-horse field.

    The victory was the third in seven starts for Mystic Lake, who was supplemented to the field at a cost of $2,000 after not being originally nominated. Mystic Lake had won the Gasparilla Stakes here on Jan. 13, also under Zayas, in her 3-year-old debut. First-place money of $60,000 raised her career bankroll to $183,266. “She broke super sharp out of the gate and as soon as she took the lead, she kind of relaxed and from there I knew I was in a good spot,” Zayas said. “She can be a little nervous, but she relaxed so good today and when I asked her, she really kicked on and kept on rolling.”

    Mystic Lake paid $3.20 to win as the betting favorite. She is owned by C2 Racing Stable and Stefania Farms and trained by Saffie A. Joseph Jr. Peggy Costanzo bred her. Clint Cornett, a partner in C2 Racing Stable with his brother Mark, said they were able to relax as well as their horse when Mystic Lake started so nicely.

    “As long as she got out of the gate and got her trip, we felt pretty confident she was going to do exactly what she did,” Clint Cornett said. “We cut her back to 7 furlongs (after a fifth-place effort on March 2 at Gulfstream in the Grade III, 1-mile Herecomesthebride Stakes on the turf), and I think she liked it. You could tell on the backside she was really relaxed, and (Zayas) really didn’t ask her until late.”

    Joseph, who watched the race from south Florida, was delighted with the performance by both filly and rider. "She ran well. I thought Edgard was very smart,” Joseph said. “He broke well and was able to keep Paco (Lopez, on Miss Sayley from post 1) on the inside and not put on too much pressure. She showed up and ran a big race, and she was very professional.
I have no plans for the future with her yet. This race was a decider for her so I'll talk it over with the owners and then come up with a plan.” 

PLEASANT ACRES STALLIONS DISTAFF TURF

    Every time his 4-year-old filly Charlie’s Wish runs, owner Mark Queen (Royalight Racing LLC) feels as if he is playing with house money. He acquired the son of First Dude-Superior Sarah, by Werblin, when a member of the horse’s breeding partnership, Three Gin Guys Stable, died and the other two partners (who were clients of Queen’s) gifted him the horse.

    “They gave her to me as a yearling, and it’s so nice when you raise them yourselves,” Queen said after Charlie’s Wish scored a half-length victory from a hard-charging Mohawk Trail. The pace-setter, Baby Steps, finished third, while defending race champion and favorite Sweet Dani Girl settled for fourth.

    Charlie’s Wish paid $14.60 after stopping the timer in 1:40.94 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance, .52 seconds off Speed Seeker’s course record. Charlie’s Wish improved to 4-for-14 with five seconds, and first-place money of $70,000 raised her earnings to $296,474.

    Queen, the son of legendary 88-year-old Florida breeder-owner Harold Queen, also received a bonus of a stallion fee from sponsor Pleasant Acres Stallions for up to $10,000.

    It’s doubtful he’ll use it to breed Charlie’s Wish any time soon. With Lopez en route to his third consecutive victory, the winner moved smartly along the inside on the turn for home to wrest the lead from Baby Steps, then held off Mohawk Trail courageously.

    “Paco did a great job with this horse,” said trainer David Fawkes, who also teamed with Lopez to win the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore with Pure Class. “The last time she ran on the grass (a third-place finish on Jan. 14 in the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Stakes at Gulfstream), she was really green She’s growing up now, like all of them.”

    Lopez was momentarily worried he might have moved prematurely on Charlie’s Wish, but he didn’t want to get beaten to the punch by Javier Castellano, who had Sweet Dani Girl in prime striking position outside of Baby Steps. Lopez needn’t have worried, as his horse was best, plain and simple. "My filly just ran very good. She had been working well, but I was a little surprised how well she ran,” Lopez said.

    Lopez also won the fifth race on the card on 8-year-old gelding Klickitat for owner In Front Racing Stables and trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo, giving the rider four winners on the card.

EQUISTAFF SOPHOMORE TURF

    Javier Castellano wasn’t concerned when Prevent opened up a 5-length lead on the backstretch, posting moderate fractions of 23.38 seconds for the quarter-mile and 47.85 for the half. He was confident his horse would respond when asked, and Crystal Quest didn’t let him down, powering to a ¾-length victory from the determined pace-setter. Ninja Star finished third.

    The victory was a record fifth in the race for owner Live Oak Plantation, which bred Crystal Quest under its Live Oak Stud banner. Michael Trombetta trains the son of Uncle Mo-Giant Crystal, by Giant’s Causeway, for breeder-owner Charlotte C. Weber. Crystal Quest’s time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth was 1:41.86. The victory was his third in four starts, and his first stakes effort had Castellano singing his praises.

    “I liked the way he finished. He is learning a lot and I think this win is huge for him,” said Castellano, who was riding Crystal Quest for the first time. “I think he can go on from here to the graded (stakes level).”

    Trombetta was pleased, and also a bit relieved, after his colt’s third consecutive victory since Jan. 28. "We were a little concerned running back on short rest but he bounced out of his last race pretty good, so we didn't want to pass up this opportunity,” Trombetta said. “He was doing well so fortunately he was able to handle it. He certainly seems to like the turf and the artificial surface (at Gulfstream).

    “He's always done everything right. He was pretty green in his first start – he walked out of the gate and showed us he wasn't ready to do it yet, so I had to go back to work and kind of put some good works in him and give him a little bit more time to put it together. Since then he's done everything really well. Javier was patient with him and when he asked him, he kicked on pretty good. He's just starting to mature and really come into himself so we're real happy with him,” Trombetta added.

    Castellano was content to let Prevent open up early. “I didn’t want to rush my horse out of his style,” he said. “He’s a come-from-behind horse no matter what the pace is, so I just picked out a good target and encouraged him a little at the 3/8-mile pole, and I asked him turning for home. I liked the way he responded.”

    Riding for connections such as Weber and Trombetta never loses its meaning, even to a veteran such as Castellano. “She is a wonderful lady who has supported the sport for many years, and Michael did a great job getting him ready. I’m grateful for the opportunity to ride for them.” Crystal quest paid $4 to win as the even-money favorite. First-place money of $60,000 boosted his earnings to $122,830.

NYRABETS SPRINT

    Even though Sibelius’s credentials as a world-class sprinter are well-established, jockey Samy Camacho couldn’t help but blame himself For Mish’s neck defeat against last year’s Dubai Golden Shaheen winner on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs in the Pelican Stakes. Without Sibelius to contend with today, the 7-year-old gray gelding Mish displayed his class, moving to the lead effortlessly on the turn for home before gearing down late for a 3 ¼-length victory from If Not for Luck. Zydeceaux finished third.

    Mish, a son of Field Commission-Wicked Great, by Greatness, improved to 9-for-28 with the victory. Owned by the C2 Racing Stable partnership of brothers Clint and Mark Cornett and trained by Saffie A. Joseph, Jr., Mish was bred by Joyce Mary Kielty. “It’s a huge win. He’s a beautiful horse, and he came in sharp today like he did (in the Pelican). I was in a perfect spot from the outside, in the clear, and when we turned for home he took off,” Camacho said.

    Clint Cornett said they had considered sending Mish to Dubai for a rematch against Sibelius in Saturday’s upcoming Dubai Golden Shaheen, but sometimes the best plans are the ones you don’t follow through on. Clint didn’t seem in the mood to wonder “what-if” after such an impressive triumph, achieved in a time of 1:09.82 for the 6-furlong distance.
“He ran a good second (in the Pelican) and he ran well today. He’s Mr. Consistency,” Cornett said. “He keeps doing his thing.” Mish has finished first or second in eight of his last nine starts.

    Watching via simulcast, trainer Joseph viscerally experienced what happens when an experienced Thoroughbred pro who is still at or near the peak of his ability is allowed to do his thing. “This horse is the gift that keeps on giving, most definitely,” Joseph said. “He lost some form last year so we backed off of him and went back to some easier races. Once he found his form again he's been ultra-consistent.

    “Today's race worked in his favor. He sat in a perfect spot and after that he just did what he should. He's a good old gelding who's very solid, and even when he gets beat he shows up. In his last race, Sibelius just beat him. Mish likes Tampa, too, and today he came back here and won a stakes.” And when he walked back to his barn, his gray coat glistening with sweat, he donned the winner’s blanket with a pride and bearing that was kind of awesome to see. First-place money of $60,000 increased Mish’s career bankroll to $473,682.

OCALA BREEDERS’ SALES SOPHOMORE

    JoAnn and Alex Lieblong’s colt Pure Class was somewhat overlooked by bettors in the eight-horse Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore. But trainer David Fawkes and jockey Paco Lopez sensed they were sitting on a horse ready to take off after winning his previous start, a 6-furlong conditional allowance on Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

    “I talked to Paco before the race and said ‘What do you think?’ and he said ‘I want to be right off the pace and ask him turning for home,’ and that’s what he did,” Fawkes said. “This horse is still just learning. He’s not a slow learner and he’s doing great, but he’s still a big baby,” Fawkes said. And one with black stakes type to his credit. Pure Class paid $16.20 to win as the co-third wagering choice in the eight-horse field.

    Pure Class is a son of The Big Beast out of I’mclassyandsassy, by Master Command. He has three victories and three seconds from seven starts, and first-place earnings of $70,000 increased his bankroll to $176,140. His time for the 7-furlong distance was 1:23.77.

    Sugar Boy, the unbeaten (4-for-4) colt from Puerto Rico, finished second, with Everdoit third in his second race in eight days. Saybrook, making his third career start, ran creditably to hold fourth in the eight-horse field as the surprising 6-5 wagering favorite. Lopez has also been working Pure Class, and he thought that gave him an advantage today. “I felt comfortable with him, and I was confident he would respond when I asked him,” Lopez said. “He worked very good the last couple of times, and he’s doing better and better.” The race was the first outside OF Gulfstream Park for Pure Class.


Saturday, March 23, 2024
5-way tie at 6 under par . . .

    There's a virtual logjam after 36 holes at the Valspar Championship in nearby Palm Harbor. Kevin Streelman, who led after the first round on the famed par 71 Copperhead course with a 7-under 64, was unable to repeat his heroics with a Friday 72 and is in a five-way tie for the halfway lead at 6 under par. One of the others at 6 under is Stewart Cink, the latest many-time winner who is splitting time playing both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

    Billy Horschel (69-72-141) is the lone Gator to make the cut, which came at even-par 142. Camilo Villegas shot 76 in round 1 and then withdrew, and Tyson Alexander (71-72-143) bogeyed his 34th hole and missed the cut by one. Seminole Daniel Berger (76-74-150) was never close.   

    

Saturday, March 23, 2024
Holy Bull winner goes in :50.21 . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - D. J. Stable and Robert Cotran’s Hades, who captured the Feb. 3 Holy Bull (G3) breezed a half-mile in 50.21 seconds Friday morning in preparation for a return to action in the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa March 30 at Gulfstream Park.

    Due to forecasts for heavy rain Friday and Saturday, trainer Joe Orseno opted to breeze Hades a day earlier than scheduled – a workout that was completed on Gulfstream’s fast main track.


    The 3-year-old gelded son of Awesome Slew will enter the Florida Derby undefeated in three starts. After rallying from far back to graduate at 5 ½ furlongs, Hades shook off heavy pressure in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance before drawing off to victory by six lengths. In the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Feb. 3, the Florida-bred gelding took control right from the start to set a pressured pace before again drawing off to win by two lengths.

    “He has exceeded my expectations,” Orseno said, “even with today’s last breeze going into the Florida Derby. “He did everything perfect. He just handles himself very professional. He gets things easily where other horses struggle.”

    At Palm Beach Downs, Repole Stable’s Fierceness, who finished a troubled third as the 1-5 favorite in the Holy Bull, breezed a half-mile in 47.43 seconds over a fast track at Palm Beach Downs Friday morning. After working in company with Be You, a Grade 1-placed Repole stablemate who is coming off an optional claiming allowance win, Fierceness galloped out five-furlongs in 1:00.63 under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. “It went very well,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He looked great.”

    Fierceness was voted 2023 Eclipse Award 2-year-old male champion after winning the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita by 6 ¼ lengths, rebounding from a disappointing performance in the Champagne (G1) at Aqueduct in his prior start.

    Notes: Frank DeLuca’s Frankie’s Empire, who finished third in the Fountain of Youth (G2) after winning the Swale (G3), breezed a half-mile in 48.02 seconds at Gulfstream Friday morning. The son of Classic Empire worked in company with Stonehedge LLC’s Davona Dale (G2) winner Fiona’s Magic, a leading prospect for the March 30 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) who was timed in 48.12. Both 3-year-olds are trained by Michael Yates.

Jockey Jose Ortiz has been confirmed to ride Conquest Warrior in the Florida Derby after riding the Shug McGaughey-trained colt to back-to-back wins during the Championship Meet… Edwin Gonzalez will return aboard Fountain of Youth and Swale runner-up Le Dom Bro for trainer Eniel Cordero in the Florida Derby. Le Dom Bro breezed a half-mile in 49.45 at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County Friday morning… Emisael Jaramillo has the mount on Victor Barboza Jr.-trained Grand Mo the First, who lost by a neck while finishing third in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2).

Tuesday, March 19, 2024
6 stakes worth $110,000 each . . .
    OLDSMAR - Florida Cup Day, a collection of six $110,000 stakes races bringing together some of the top state-bred horses in training, will be held Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs.

    Nominations for the 21st annual event closed with a total of 119 nominations across the six races. Horses must be registered Florida-breds to compete.

    The event has produced such outstanding winners as Munnys Gold, who set the Oldsmar oval’s 7-furlong main track record of 1:20.09 in winning last year’s Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes; World Approval, a two-time Florida Cup winner (2015 Equistaff Sophomore Turf and 2017 Turf Classic), who went on to win the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Mile; and Imperial Hint, a four-time Grade I winner and 2017 TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up who won the 2016 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes and the 2018 NYRABETS Sprint.


    The Florida Cup celebrates the state’s rich tradition of breeding, raising and racing champion Thoroughbreds. That group includes such all-time greats as 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed; Kentucky Derby winners Unbridled, Silver Charm, Carry Back, Needles, Foolish Pleasure and Medina Spirit; Dr. Fager; Holy Bull and Afleet Alex.

    The race lineup remains unchanged from last year. One new sponsor has climbed aboard – ESMARK, a Pittsburgh-based company focusing on steel services, oil and gas exploration, aviation, real estate, technology and sports management.

    The ESMARK Turf Classic is a mile-and-an-eighth race on the grass course for Florida-breds 4-years-old-and-upward. The 22 nominees include trainer Michael Maker’s 7-year-old gelding Me and Mr. C, who won the race in 2021 and was second last year, and trainer Kelsey Danner’s 4-year-old colt Otago, who won last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore.

    There are 22 horses nominated to the NYRABETS Sprint, a 6-furlong race on the main track. Top nominees include 5-year-old gelding Dean Delivers, a Grade III winner from the barn of Michael Yates; Grade III winner Octane, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Juan Alvarado; and Mish, trainer Saffie A. Joseph Jr.’s 7-year-old gelding who just missed upsetting Sibelius here in last month’s Pelican Stakes.

    There are 21 horses nominated to the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore, a 7-furlong race for 3-year-olds on the main track. The nominees include Pure Class, a David Fawkes-trained colt who has finished first or second in five of six career starts, and unbeaten (4-for-4) Sugar Boy, trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo’s colt who has done all his running at Hipodromo Camarero in Puerto Rico.

    The Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies, for 3-year-old females going 7 furlongs on the dirt, attracted 16 nominees. There may not be another Munnys Gold, but Joseph’s R Harper Rose is a Grade III winner who is 4-for-5 and Maker’s Let Them Watch and Herman Wilensky’s Chi Chi finished 1-2 on Dec. 2 in the Sandpiper Stakes.

    The Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf for fillies and mares 3-and-upward at a mile-and-a-sixteenth attracted 21 nominees. Grade III-winning 4-year-old Mohawk Trail, trained by Danner, and defending champion Sweet Dani Girl, a multiple-stakes winner trained by Christophe Clement, are on the list.


    The Equistaff Sophomore Turf, for 3-year-olds traveling a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf, drew 17 colt and gelding nominees. Standing out on paper is Danner’s colt Shards, who has not raced since finishing fifth on Nov. 3 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita, beaten only 2 ¼ lengths by winner Big Evs.

    All licensed owners, breeders and trainers are invited to a luncheon free of charge on Florida Cup Day from noon-3 p.m., upon display of their license, under the big tent adjacent to the paddock.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Trio of Gators all miss the cut . . .

    The Players Championship is geared up for a bang-bang finish today in Ponte Vedra, with Xander Schauffele, at 17 under par, leading by one stroke over Wyndham Clark, who is one more ahead of lefty Brian Harman. Clark gave up the 36-hole lead he had forged by a pair of 7-under 65s, adding a Saturday 2-under 70 for his 16-under 200. Xander took the lead with a 7-under 65, while Harman made a huge jump with his 8-under 64 over the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.

    There are six players within five shots of Xander, but he will be tough to run down if he continues his hot hand. 

    All the Gators missed the cut of 1 under: Camilo Villegas with 73-82, Billy Horschel with 71-74, and Tyson Alexander with 71-74. Senior Steve Stricker, the Champions Tour leader, took time out from the elderly tour but missed the cut with 72-74. 

    The leaders tee off just before 2 p. m., so it will be around 6 when a champ is crowned. 

Friday, March 15, 2024
Service has returned . . .

    OLDSMAR - The tote shutdown following Saturday’s 10th race at Tampa Bay Downs, the Grade III Florida Oaks, occurred because of a communications outage between AmTote International and Roberts Communication Network (RCN), according to officials with both companies.

    AmTote, which is owned by 1/ST Racing, is a technology and services provider to numerous tracks, while RCN provides the communication link between AmTote and the racetracks.

    1/ST Racing president Aidan Butler said that while AmTote remained operative late Saturday afternoon, both the primary and secondary links to the affected tracks went down. The crash led to wagering disruptions at numerous tracks and guest locations (simulcast facilities) through AmTote’s mid-Atlantic hub, which includes Tampa Bay Downs.

    Service was returned to normal Sunday. An investigation is ongoing.

    The outage led to a half-hour delay before the 11th race, the Grade III Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, and resulted in it being declared a non-wagering race. The scheduled 12th and final race, an allowance for fillies and mares, was cancelled by Tampa Bay Downs track management due to approaching darkness.

    “The loss of our tote system resulted from circumstances entirely out of our control,” said Peter Berube, the Oldsmar oval’s Vice President & General Manager. “During the delay, we remained hopeful that service could be restored, and the horses for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby were taken to the paddock to prepare to go on the racetrack.

    “As the delay grew in length, the skies turned overcast, leading to concerns about running the 12th race in near-darkness. For the safety of those horses and jockeys, we knew the only prudent decision was to cancel the race.”

    Berube said the conditions surrounding the delay of the track’s showcase race and the subsequent race cancellation were unprecedented in his experience.

    “Customer satisfaction and trust are at the foundation of our business, and anything that erodes that needs to be addressed,” Berube said. “We knew Saturday that most of our patrons were totally unaware of the circumstances that led to our decisions – they wanted to know why they couldn’t cash their tickets from the 10th and why they couldn’t bet on the last two races.

    “The situation was surreal, to say the least, and for it to happen on our biggest racing day of the meet was nightmarish. Fortunately, we had a fair and exciting running of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, producing a deserving winner in Domestic Product.”

    Many bettors have questioned why winning tickets purchased earlier Saturday on the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby could not be cashed by establishing pools based on monies already wagered, rather than having their wagers refunded. Berube replied that despite the early wagering that went on, the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby did not have anywhere near a full set of mutuel pools and wagers. Further, patrons could not wager on the race after the Florida Oaks had been run, nor could they cancel wagers made earlier.

    “Basically, the integrity of those pools would have been nonexistent,” he said.

    With hundreds of sites not being able to transmit wagers, calculate and receive updated odds information or stop betting, the decision to issue refunds on those wagers already made was deemed fairest for all involved.

     “When the shutdown took place, the pools for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby became compromised,” Berube said. “We sympathize with those bettors who would have won, but it’s conceivable the payoffs based on much-reduced pools could have caused bad feelings, also.”

    He added that the decision to pay off on multi-race wagers, such as Pick 3s, Pick 4s and Daily Doubles, by stipulating “ALL” winners of the 11th and 12th races was made in accordance with Florida parimutuel statutes, which are similar to nationwide standard rules whereby “no contest” or “no race” designations dictate awarding “ALL” runners as the “winners” for such legs.

    Berube said he hopes transparency in dealing with the questions posed by Saturday’s incredible events will placate the majority of patrons who may have left Tampa Bay Downs with a sour taste in their mouths. Even though the track was not responsible for the tote shutdown, he will continue to push officials to determine the cause.

    “For us as a racetrack, the timing could not have been any worse,” he said. “But we want our customers to know we value their business and their input, and we plan to work even harder to satisfy them moving forward.

Thursday, March 14, 2024
Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo . . .

Hip No. 533, a son of Not This Time consigned by Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, Agent was sold to Pro Racing Stable LLC, Agent, for $1.5-million to top the second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2024 March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. The bay colt, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5, is a half brother to stakes placed Pammy’s Ready out of Pammy Whammy, by War Front, from the family of stakes winner My Mogul.

    Hip No. 494, a son of Flatter consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, Agent, went to Marquee Bloodstock for $1.3-million. The dark bay or brown colt, who breezed an eighth in :9 4/5, is out of Napier, by OBS champion graduate Midnight Lute, a half sister to grade one stakes winner Obligatory.

    Hip No. 304, a daughter of Nyquist consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, who turned in an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5, went to Justin Casse, Agent, for $750,000. The chestnut filly is out of High Heeled Girl, by Malibu Moon, a daughter of grade one stakes placed stakes winner High Heeled Hope.

    Joey Platts paid $750,000 for Hip No. 529, a son of Tiz the Law also consigned by Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds. The bay colt, whose eighth in :9 3/5 was the day’s co-fastest, is out of graded stakes placed Our Majesty, by OBS graduate Majesticperfection, a half sister to stakes winner Overvalued.

    Hip No. 445, a son of champion OBS graduate Mitole consigned Eddie Woods, Agent, went to Speedway Stables, LLC for $725,000. The dark bay or brown colt, who worked an eighth in :9 4/5, is a half brother to graded stakes wining OBS graduate Midnight Stroll out of Midnight Magic, by champion OBS graduate Midnight Lute.  

    Hip 526, a son of Gun Runner consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent, was sold to Spendthrift Farm LLC & Frank Fletcher Racing for $725,000. The dark bay or brown colt, who breezed an eighth in :10 flat, is a half brother to graded stakes winner Sister OToole out of O’Toole, by Distorted Humor.

    Hip No. 539, a son of Justify consigned by Pick View LLC, Agent, went to Donato Lanni, Agent for Zedan Racing for $700,000. The bay colt, whose quarter in :20 2/5 was the day’s co-fastest, is out of graded stakes placed stakes winner Pauseforthecause, by Giant’s Causeway, a daughter of graded stakes placed stakes winner Sprightly.

    Hip No. 421, a son of graded stakes winning OBS graduate Shancelot, consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, was purchased by Bill Childs for $650,000. The dark bay or brown colt, whose eighth in :9 4/5 was the session’s co-fastest, is out of Magnolias in Bloom, by Flatter, a half sister to stakes winner Quinoa Tifah.

     Mitsu Nakauchida went to $600,000 for Hip No. 378, a son of Tapit consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds LLC (Steven Venosa), Agent. The chestnut colt, who breezed an eighth in :10 flat, is out of L’ Age d’Or, by Medaglia d’Oro, a daughter of grade one stakes winner Mona de Momma, dam of grade one stakes winner Vekoma.

    Jet Horse LLC, Peter Miller, Agent, went to $600,000 for Hip No. 499, a daughter of Twirling Candy consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent. The bay filly, who breezed an eighth in :10 flat, is a half sister to Thanks Mr. Eidson out of Nest Egg, by Eskendereya.

    Hip No. 482, a daughter of Twirling Candy also consigned by Wavertree, was purchased for $575,000 by Saints or Sinners LLC. The bay filly, who breezed an eighth in :9 4/5, is out of My Day, by Uncle Mo, from the family of graded stakes winner Declaration of War.

    Hip No. 348, a son of Twirling Candy consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, was sold for $550,000 to Case Clay Thoroughbred Management. The bay colt, who worked an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat, is out of Jotown, by Speightstown, a daughter of graded stakes winner Jojo Warrior.

    Hip No. 370, a daughter of American Pharoah who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat, was sold to Resolute Bloodstock for $525,000. The bay filly is a half sister to graded stakes winner Bellavais out of graded stakes winner La Cloche, by Ghostzapper.

    Hip No. 554, a son of Laoban, who worked an eighth in :9 4/5, was purchased by  Arthur Hoyeau, Agent, for $525,000 . The bay colt, consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent , is out of Princess Aspen, by Birdstone, a half sister to grade ones stakes winner Zazu.

    Boardshorts Stables, LLC, paid $510,000 for Hip No. 386, a daughter of Candy Ride (ARG) who worked an eighth in :10 1/5. Consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, the dark bay or brown filly is a half sister to graded stakes winner Three Witches, recent winner of the Santa Monica Stakes (G2), out of Layreebelle, by Tale of the Cat.

    Hip No. 453, Racing Withthemoon, a daughter of Munnings consigned by Tom McCrocklin, Agent for Peter J. Mirabelli, was sold to Resolute Bloodstock for $500,000. The dark bay or brown filly, whose quarter in :20 2/5 was the session’s co-fastest at the distance, is out of Miss Majestic, by Majestic Warrior, a daughter of graded stakes winner Cassidy.

    Hip No. 325, a son of Improbable consigned by Majestic, Agent, went to James Divito, Agent for $475,000. The bay colt, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in a co-fastest :9 4/5, is out of stakes placed Inaugurate, by Empire Maker, from the family of graded stakes winner Top Rung.

    Hip No. 290, a daughter of City of Light consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent, was sold to Patricia’s Hope LLC for $435,000. The bay filly, whose Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5 was the session’s co-fastest, is out of Hassler (IRE), by War Front, a daughter of grade one stakes winning millionaire OBS graduate Turbulent Descent.

Thursday, March 14, 2024
Colt is consigned by Tom McCrocklin . . .

    Hip No. 173, a son of Tapit consigned by Tom McCrocklin, Agent for the Complete Dispersal for Lothenbach Stables, Inc., went to West Point Thoroughbreds /D J Stable /C J, LEB Agent, for $1,200,000 to top the first session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2024 March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. The gray or roan colt, who galloped at the Under Tack Show, is a half-brother to graded stakes-winner She Can’t Sing out of Distorted Music, by Distorted Humor.

    Katsumi Yoshida went to $850,000 for Hip No. 183, consigned by Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, Agent, a son of Not This Time who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. The dark bay or brown colt is out of Dos Vinos, by Twirling Candy, a half-sister to stakes-winner China Grove. 

    Hip No. 89, a son of McKinzie consigned by Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, was sold to Bill Childs for $750,000. The bay colt, whose Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5 was the session’s co-fastest at the distance, is a half-brother to graded stakes-placed stakes-winner Merveilleux out of Breech Inlet, by Holy Bull.

    Hip No. 106, a son of Uncle Mo consigned by Pick View, Agent, was purchased for $750,00 by B S W / Crow Colts Group & Spendthrift Farm. The bay colt, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 2/5 is out of Canteen, by Candy Ride (ARG), from the family of graded stakes-placed stakes-winner Lady Melisi.

    Woodford Thoroughbreds went to $700,000 for Hip No. 26, a daughter of Munnings consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent. The bay filly, whose eighth in :9 4/5 was the day’s co-fastest, is a half-sister to Gr. I stakes-winner Denman’s Call, out of Ansaam by Bernardini.

    Hip No. 202, a son of OBS graduate Into Mischief consigned by Old South Farm, Agent, was sold to Muir Hut Stables for $700,000. The bay colt, who turned in an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat, is out of graded stakes-winner Electric Forest, by Curlin, a daughter of graded stakes-winner Forest Music.

    Hip No. 267, a son of Curlin consigned by Pick View, Agent, went to On The Run Racing for $500,000. The bay colt, who turned in an Under Tack quarter in :21 2/5, is a half-brother to Gr. I stakes-winning OBS March graduate My Conquestadory out of stakes-placed Golden Artemis, by Malibu Moon.

    Hip No. 17 a son of McKinzie consigned by Kings Equine, Agent, was sold for $450,000 to Jones / Everett, for Belmar Racing, RA Hill & Gargan Racing. The dark bay or brown colt, who turned in a co-fastest Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5, is out of stakes-winner Altamura, by Artie Schiller, from the family of graded stakes-winner Private Creed.

    C H P Racing paid $450,000 for Hip No. 222, a daughter of Practical Joke consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent. The bay filly, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5, is out of Fierce Scarlett, by Scat Daddy, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed stakes-winner Thank U Philippe.

    Hip No. 30, a daughter of Bernardini consigned by Top Line Sales, Agent, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat, was sold to Simon Callaghan, Agent, for $400,000. The bay filly is out of Arbanne, by Midshipman, from the family of Gr. I stakes-winner Condo Commando.

    Hip No. 45, a son of Nyquist consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, was purchased for $380,000 by Bradley Thoroughbreds for Rodeo Creek Racing. The chestnut colt, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5, is out of Bashful, by Orb, a half- sister to graded stakes-placed stakes-winner Left a Message.

    Hip No. 14, a son of Omaha Beach consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, was sold to Case Clay Thoroughbred Management for $350,000, The bay colt, who worked an eighth in :10 flat at the Under Tack Show, is out of All Dressed Up, by Super Saver, a daughter of stakes-winner Dress the Part.

    Whitehorse Stables went to $350,000 for Hip No. 191, a son of Global Campaign consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent. The dark bay or brown colt, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5, is a half-brother to stakes-winner The Absolute One out of Driving Rain, by Storm Cat.

    For the session, 153 horses sold for $20,844,000, compared with 149 horses grossing $21,110,500 at last year’s first session. The average price was $136,235, compared with $141,681 a year ago, while the median price was $72,000 compared with $70,000 last year. The buyback percentage was 26.4 %; it was 22.8% in 2023.

 

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Meeting will have fewer race days per week . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - The overnight purses during Gulfstream Park’s upcoming Spring/Summer Meet will receive significant increases from top to bottom over a season ago. Come April, upon the conclusion of the 2023-2024 Championship Meet, purses will be boosted in all categories from open handicaps to $6,250 claiming races with conditions.

    Gulfstream will race four days a week in April, May and June and three days from July through November. There will be turf racing throughout the spring and summer.


    The new and historic workers compensation plan will offer significant savings. The workers compensation program provides all state coverage with the exception of New York, California, Ohio, North Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.


    “We expect the increase in purses, the new workers compensation program, and year-round turf racing will continue to strengthen Gulfstream’s overall program,” said Bill Badgett, Executive Director of Florida Racing Operations for Gulfstream Park.  

“With the increased purses, grass racing and our workers compensation program, Gulfstream is now the summer place to be,” said FTHA President Joe Orseno. “We are able to offer better purses and we hope this will encourage trainers and owners to keep horses at Gulfstream Park through the non-championship meet. A big thank you to 1/ST management and the FTHA purse committee for negotiating this competitive purse structure.”

     Open handicaps, which were contested for $60,000 last season, will offer purses worth $74,000. The purse for a $6,250 claiming race with conditions will be increased from $17,000 to $20,000.

    Open allowance races will offer purses $10,000 higher than 2023 levels, ranging from $61,000 to $63,000. Entry-level allowance races for Florida-breds will see a $5,000 increase from $43,000 to $48,000.

    Starter allowance purses will be increased from3,000 to $9,000, ranging from $25,000 to $49,000. Maiden special weight races will also be increased by $10,000 to $60,000. Maiden special weight races for Florida-breds will see increases from $40,000 to $48,000. A maiden race for $12,500 claiming horses will get a boost of $6,000 to $25,000. The purse for a $50,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds will be increased by $9,000 to $44,000. 

Saturday, March 9, 2024
First-round double bogey does him in . . .

    Despite making a strong late charge yesterday, it was an early double bogey on Thursday that was enough to knock Ted Potter out of the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. 

    Ted began early Thursday morning with a birdie on his first hole, No. 10 at the Grand Reserve Golf Club. He then made seven pars and another birdie on No. 15, finishing the back nine at 2-under-par-34. Then came a bogey on No. 1 after an errant tee shot led to Ted having to take a drop and falling back to 1 under. But a double bogey on No. 4 put him at 1 over, and a birdie at 7 led to an even-par round of 72. 

    On Friday, Ted was at even par after 15 holes when he birdied the 16th and 17th and finished with a 2-under 70, and 2 under for the 36 holes. But it left him two short of the cut line of 4 under. 

    Also missing the cut were Seminole Daniel Berger, by two strokes, and Gator Camilo Villegas, by one. Joe Highsmith held the halfway lead at 14 under with a pair of 65s, and there was a 6-way tie for second at 12 under

Saturday, March 9, 2024
Pletcher has won Derby 6 times . . .
    OLDSMAR - Thoroughbred trainers Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown will seek to extend their dominance of two of the premier stakes races on the Tampa Bay Downs calendar today.

    Pletcher is gunning for his seventh victory in the Gr. III, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby for 3-year-olds with Heartened, who broke his maiden here in his fourth career start on the Sam F. Davis Stakes undercard on Feb. 10. Heartened’s 94 speed figure for the mile-and-40-yard distance matched the number earned later that day in the mile-and-a-sixteenth Sam F. Davis by winner No More Time, the 7-5 morning-line favorite. 

    The Tampa Bay Derby is the 11th race on a 12-race Festival Day 44 program beginning at 11:55 a.m. Admission is $15, and each patron receives a “Mystery Mutuel Voucher” worth between $5-$1,000.

    Pletcher’s previous winners in the mile-and-a-sixteenth Oldsmar showcase include Limehouse (2004), Verrazano (2013), Carpe Diem (2015), Destin (2016), Tapwrit (2017) and Tapit Trice (2023). No other trainer has won the race more than twice.

    Heartened will break from the No. 1 post in the 10-horse field under jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode him in last month’s victory.

    While Pletcher’s record in the Tampa Bay Derby is staggering, Brown’s preeminence in the Gr. II, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward is otherworldly. He has sent out the winner in six of the last 12 runnings of the mile-and-an-eighth turf event: Zagora (2012), Stephanie’s Kitten (2015), Fourstar Crook (2018), Rymska (2019), Bleecker Street (2022) and Shantisara (2023).

    Pletcher, with four victories, is the only other trainer to win the Hillsborough more than twice, most recently in 2013 with Old Tune.

    Today, Brown will send out two horses in the eight-horse field: Fluffy Socks and Marketsegmentation, who will break from the Nos. 1 and 2 posts under brothers Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Jose Ortiz, respectively. Marketsegmentation is the 5-2 morning-line favorite, followed by Fluffy Socks at 3-1. The Hillsborough is the ninth race.

    Pletcher does not have a horse in the Hillsborough. His only other stakes entrant on the card is Dynamic One, a 6-year-old who will compete in the Gr. III, $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes, scheduled as the sixth race.

    Brown, by contrast, trains seven of today’s 46 stakes entrants. In addition to Fluffy Socks and Marketsegmentation, he has two horses in the Tampa Bay Derby, two in the Gr. III, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf and one in the $75,000, 1-mile Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf.

    Brown has had only three previous starters in the Tampa Bay Derby, with none finishing better than sixth. Both of his horses in this year’s race – Good Money, who will break from the No. 4 post under Irad Ortiz Jr., and Domestic Product, who will start from the No. 5 post under Tyler Gaffalione – appear to be heading in the right direction with even bigger 3-year-old races on the near horizon.

     Good Money broke his maiden here on Jan. 26 going 7 furlongs in his lone career start. Domestic Product, who is the 8-5 second choice on the morning line, is the more highly regarded of the Brown runners, having finished a solid second with blinkers off in the Gr. III, mile-and-a-sixteenth Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park to unbeaten Hades.

    Domestic Product broke his maiden as a 2-year-old on Oct. 27 at the Belmont At Aqueduct meet going a mile-and-an-eighth.

    Brown has two horses in the Florida Oaks, a race he has won three times – with Dolce Zel in 2022, Domain Expertise in 2021 and Testa Rossi in 2014. Brown is tied with Bill Mott and Neil J. Howard for the most winners in race history.

    Brown’s Weigh the Risks will break from the No. 10 post in a 12-horse field under Irad Ortiz, directly inside 7-2 morning-line favorite Dynamic Pricing and Jose Ortiz.

    Weigh the Risks will make her first start since breaking her maiden on Sept. 3 at Saratoga in a mile-and-a-sixteenth turf race, also with Irad aboard. Dynamic Pricing is also 1-for-2 and finished third on Feb. 3 in the Gr. III Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream, a neck behind runner-up Style Points, another Florida Oaks contender trained by Christophe Clement.

    Brown’s remaining stakes entry on the card (he has four others entered) is Move to Gold, a stakes-winner who will be ridden by Irad in the Columbia. Move to Gold is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.





Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Ted tied for 59th last year . . .

    The Puerto Rico Open always brings out various groups: including former big-time PGA Tour players who are not riding the big wave anymore, and a slew of newbies looking to break through for a full-time exemption.

    Among the former group is Ocala's Ted Potter, who hasn't been seen in a while after spending a decade or so with the big guns, winning twice and running up more than $6.1 million in prize money. Ted played in this one at Grand Reserve Golf Club (par 72, 7,506 yards) last year and finished tied for 59th at 1 under par, earning a check for $8,664.

    Also among the huge group of "formers" are Bill Haas, Brandt Snedeker, Geoff Ogilvy, Sean O'Hair, Jeff Overton, Jason Dufner, Aaron Baddeley, Ben Crane, Ricky Barnes and D. J. Trahan. Barnes tees off with Ted and Martin Trainer in tomorrow's first round, starting at 6:34 a. m. 

    Nico Echavarria is the defending champ; the Columbian won at 21 under last year and collected $684,000. He'll be joined this time by fellow Columbian and ex-Gator Camilo Villegas, a recent winner on Tour. In last week's Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, Nico tied for 21st at 10 under par. Austin Eckroat won the event that for years was the Honda Classic, and he collected $1.6 million. Gator Billy Horschel tied for ninth at 12 under and Tyson Alexander (68-70-69-66-273) tied for 16th at 11 under.

    Seminole Daniel Berger is also in the entries in Puerto Rico. 

    At Bay Hill, all the remaining elites (who haven't defected to the boring LIV golf tour) are among the short field of 69 honoring Arnie. They include Jusin Rose, Jason Day, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth and Shane Lowry.

    Unfortunately, for the average fan, the problem of identifying most of the 6' 2" same-build players from behind makes the TV coverage less enjoyable. Not like the days when Arnie, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, Watson, Mickelson and others could always be picked out, no matter what angle the cameras had on them. \

     Of course, the LIV problems go much deeper, but that's a column for another day.    

Monday, March 4, 2024
Multiple winners take advantage of mandatory payout . . .

  HALLANDALE BEACH - A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool yielded multiple payoffs of $35,544 Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

    The multi-race wager had gone unsolved for 17 days following a Feb. 8 jackpot hit, leaving a pool carryover of $834,368 heading into Sunday’s wagering. A total of $5,110,271 was bet on the sequence that spanned Races 6-11. The winning combination was
4-6-8-6-12-12.

    On mandatory-payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence. The carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winner, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot poo
l.

    The Rainbow 6 will start anew Wednesday.

    Who’s Hot: Paco Lopez notched a three-win day, doubling aboard Macuto ($18.80) in Race 2 and St. Pat’s Day ($21.20) in Race 8 before scoring aboard American Diamond ($22) in Race 10.  Jose Ortiz made two trips to the winner’s circle aboard Movin’ On Top ($4.60) in Race 5 and Sedona ($5.40) in Race 7.


Leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. won three races, connecting with Speed Control ($5.60) in Race 1, Movin’ On Up ($4.60) in Race 5, and American Diamond ($22) in Race 10.

Sunday, March 3, 2024
Had won Pasco Stakes at Tampa by 12 1/2 lengths . . .
    OLDSMAR – After arriving back in Florida from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday, trainer Derek Ryan decided to unwind by taking his 18-year-old son Christopher to Palm Beach Gardens for yesterday’s third round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches golf tournament at PGA National Resort.

    While enjoying the shot-making by many of the world’s best golfers, Ryan sounded no worse for wear after the whirlwind events of a week ago, which saw his 3-year-old New Jersey-bred gelding Book’em Danno get nipped at the wire by unbeaten Japanese star Forever Young in the $1.5-million Saudi Derby at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

    Ryan put Book’em Danno on a van for the airport Thursday, headed for Chicago and a mandatory one-week quarantine imposed on all of the U.S. horses that competed in the Saudi Cup Day races.

    “He was great after the race, no problem,” Ryan said of Book’em Danno, who had won the Pasco Stakes here on Jan. 13 by 12 ½ lengths to earn an invitation to the Saudi Derby. “I had to gallop him over there two days after the race. He’s a tough little horse. Like they say, he’s hickory.” The  gelding is by Bucchero, formerly at Ocala's Pleasant Acres Stallions and recently relocated to New York. 

    Speculation abounded afterward that Book’em Danno might have lost focus late in the race, and that neither horse nor rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., were fully aware of Forever Young’s rally as the Japanese horse charged home for all he was worth on the far outside of the track under jockey Ryusei Sakai to improve to 4-for-4.

    “I think if (Forever Young) came up right beside him, he doesn’t get beat,” said Ryan, who trains Book’em Danno for Atlantic Six Racing. “It’s a long stretch there, and we ended up in front a little sooner than we wanted.”

    Forever Young was timed in 1:36.17 for the one-turn, 1,600-meter race (about a mile) as both horses shattered the track record for the distance. Book’em Danno is 4-for-6 with three stakes victories and two seconds to his credit, and the $300,000 second-place prize raised his career earnings to $560,625.


    While Forever Young is expected to compete next in the United Arab Emirates Derby on March 30 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai as his connections seek a possible date in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 4, Ryan has other targets in mind for Book’em Danno. For now, though, he’s keeping his cards close to the vest.

 
 Ryan, who picked out the Saudi Derby last fall for Book’em Danno, said he has numerous options for the horse’s late spring and summer campaigns. The Gr. I, $500,000 Woody Stephens on June 8, Belmont Stakes Day, seems a logical possibility, as it is for 3-year-olds going 7 furlongs (the Belmont Stakes card will be conducted this year at Saratoga).

   But for now, Ryan doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. He has one of the most exciting 3-year-olds in training, even if he isn’t a Triple Crown candidate, and the worldwide publicity he and Book’em Danno garnered for their courageous effort and the conditioner’s sportsmanship after the heart-rending setback are good things.


And, Ryan pointed out between golf shots as his Irish countryman Shane Lowry dueled for the lead, Tampa Bay Downs received its fair share of positive exposure from the experience, too.

    “There are a lot of Saudi Arabians going around with Tampa Bay Downs hats,” he said. “I think I brought eight or 10 with me, but I should have brought a bunch more.”
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Mage's full brother scores at 1/5 . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Dornoch, a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, made a significant step along the Road to the Triple Crown Saturday at Gulfstream Park, scoring a commanding victory in the $400,000, Gr. II Coolmore Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park as the 1-5 favorite.

    The 78th running of the Fountain of Youth, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds that serves as a key prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby on March 30, headlined a spectacular 14-race program that featured nine stakes, eight graded.

    Dornoch has earned 60 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby after collecting 50 in the Fountain of Youth.

    “We could run in the Florida Derby or the Blue Grass (at Keeneland April 6),” trainer Danny Gargan said. “We’re lucky enough now where we can pick our spot. Sixty points usually gets you in, so now we’re on cruise control. We’ll figure out where we want to go next and try to enjoy this for a minute.”

    The Fountain of Youth field was reduced to five when Speak Easy was scratched after unseating jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and running off directly following the post parade. The field had already lost Merit, who finished second behind Conquest Warrior in a Friday optional claiming allowance, as well as Locked, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, and Victory Avenue, who finished second behind Speak Easy in his debut, both of whom were withdrawn Saturday morning.

    Owned by West Paces Racing, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing and Pine Racing Stables, Dornoch took advantage of the scratch of Speak Easy, who showed brilliant speed in a highly promising debut victory on Jan. 27. The son of Good Magic rounded the first turn outside 25-1shot Le Dom Bro, before taking the lead for good at the top of the backstretch under Luis Saez. Real Macho was kept in relatively close pursuit by Tyler Gaffalione as Dornoch set fractions of :24.39 and :48.14 for the first half-mile
.

    As Real Macho dropped back, Le Dom Bro tried to make a race of it again leaving the turn into the stretch under Edwin Gonzalez, but Dornoch remained strong in the stretch run to win by 1 ¾ lengths.

    “We didn’t want to be on the lead but when [Speak Easy] scratched, he gets out there and he kind of plays around. You can see him with his ears kind of goofing off. I told Luis, ‘Just go ahead and go,” Gargan said. “We had no choice. We really wanted to stalk today, it just didn’t work out that way. He won fine enough. Surely it won’t be his fastest race. We didn’t expect to win today. It just kind of played out that way. I don’t think he ran very hard. He was just kind of playing around out there.”

    Dornoch, who ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.64, was making his 2024 debut after capturing the Dec. 2, Gr. II Remsen at Aqueduct, fighting back to score a nose decision over Sierra Leone, who won the Gr. II Risen Star at Fair Grounds in his 3-year-old debut.

    “I was very confident. I had a lot of horse,” Saez said. “I knew he was going to give me another gear. He always does. He’s just a good horse. I’m very happy.”

    Co-owner R. A. Hill went into the Fountain of Youth with confidence in Dornoch.

     “I wasn’t that worried to be honest. We got lucky with the scratches, but I was pretty confident all along. I think this horse is the real deal,” Hill said. “He won today, Luis stood up about halfway down the stretch. We get the two scratches, which of course was lucky, but you got to run against who’s in the game. We’ll probably run in the Florida Derby or the Blue Grass. It’s up to Danny.”


Le Dom Bro, a son of Mucho Macho Man who had finished second in the seven-furlong Swale on Feb. 3 after he finished ninth behind Dornoch in the Remsen, held second, a neck in front of Frankie’s Empire, the Swale winner who chased the top two throughout the race.

    “I’m really happy. The horse ran good,” Le Dom Bro’s trainer Eniel Cordero said. “I talked to Edwin, and I said to get some position and then go. He’s a good horse. The more distance the better for him. I’ll talk to the owner and see what’s next. We have a good horse.”


Thursday, February 29, 2024
Gr. II, $400,000 race goes on March 9 . . .
    OLDSMAR - The top two finishers in the Gr. III Sam F. Davis Stakes, No More Time and Agate Road, and two of the top-10 horses in the Daily Racing Form “Derby Watch” rankings, are among 40 3-year-olds nominated for the 44th running of the Gr. III, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday, March 9 at Tampa Bay Downs.

    The Tampa Bay Derby, contested at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main dirt track, awards 50 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points to the winner toward qualifying for the 150th Run for the Roses on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

    The Tampa Bay Derby is one of five stakes races worth a combined $1 million in purse money on the Festival Day 44 card. The others are the Gr. II, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes, for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward at a mile-and-an-eighth on the turf course; the Gr. III, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at a mile-and-a-sixteenth, also on the turf; the Gr. III, $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes, for horses 4-and-upward at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main track; and the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the
turf.

    Tickets for Festival Day 44 are $15 and are available online at www.tampabaydowns.com or at the
 gate on March 9 (cash only). Each patron will receive a “Mystery Mutuel Voucher” worth between $5-$1,000. The gates will open at about 10:30 a.m.

    In addition to No More Time, the No. 16-ranked “Derby Watch” colt who won the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 10 in gate-to-wire fashion under jockey Paco Lopez for owner Morplay Racing and trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo, and Agate Road, who closed with good energy under jockey Jose Ortiz for trainer Todd Pletcher, the No. 3-ranked horse on the “Derby Watch” rankings, Pletcher’s colt Locked, is among the nominees. He has not raced since running third in last year’s FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

    Agate Road and Locked are among seven Pletcher 3-year-olds nominated to the Tampa Bay Derby. Rival trainer Chad Brown has four nominees, including 13th-ranked “Derby Watch” horse Domestic Product. The Klaravich Stables-owned colt finished second to Hades on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park in the Gr. III Holy Bull Stakes.

    Hades, a Florida-bred trained by Joseph Orseno who is 3-for-3, is also nominated, as is trainer Claude “Shug” McGaughey III’s promising Conquest Warrior, who is ninth on the “Derby Watch” list.


    Also nominated is trainer Derek Ryan’s gelding Book’em Danno, who finished second by a nose to Japanese runner Forever Young on Saturday in the $1.5-million Saudi Derby. The Hillsborough Stakes has drawn 21 nominations, headed by Grade I winners Marketsegmentation and Aspen Grove.

    Marketsegmentation, a 5-year-old mare owned by Klaravich and trained by Brown, captured the Gr. I New York Stakes last June at Belmont Park, while the 4-year-old filly Aspen Grove, owned by Ocala's Glen Hill Farm and Mrs. John Magnier and trained by Jack Sisterson, won the Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-olds a month later.


    Also nominated is Pletcher’s 5-year-old Surprisingly, who finished third in last year’s Hillsborough after winning the Gr. III Endeavour Stakes here five weeks earlier. Bred and previously owned by Phipps Stable and trained at the time by McGaughey, Surprisingly was purchased by Repole Stable for $1 million at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and transferred to Pletcher’s barn.

    Brown has won the last two editions of the Hillsborough Stakes, four of the last six and six overall. Brown and Pletcher’s abundance of high-quality turf horses seems to extend to 3-year-old fillies, with both conditioners nominating five to the Florida Oaks. Another four come from the barn of Ocalan Mark Casse.

    Brown’s quintet includes two sophomore fillies owned by Klaravich Stables in Dynamic Pricing and Oversubscribed. Dynamic Pricing followed a maiden victory in her career debut in November at Aqueduct with a game third-place finish on Feb. 3 in the Gr. III Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

    Among Pletcher’s nominees is the Sweetest Chant winner, Repole Stable’s Life’s an Audible, while Christophe Clement has nominated Sweetest Chant runner-up Style Points. Casse’s nominees include Resolute Racing’s Pounced, 2-for-3 after an impressive allowance/optional claiming victory on Feb. 11 at Gulfstream.


    The Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes closed with 25 nominations. That collection includes last year’s Challenger winner, 5-year-old Skippylongstocking, who added the Gr. II Charles Town Classic to his ledger in August for trainer Saffie A. Joseph Jr.

    Another nominee with strong Oldsmar form is trainer Roger Attfield’s 7-year-old Shirl’s Speight, a Gr. I winner who captured the 2022 Gr. III Tampa Bay Stakes on the turf. Brittany Russell has nominated her multiple graded stakes-winning 4-year-old colt, Instant Coffee, while Pletcher’s five nominees include 6-year-old Dynamic One, who won the Gr. II Suburban Stakes in 2022 at Belmont but has since raced only three times.


    The Columbia Stakes, previously known as the Chris Thomas Turf Classic, has attracted 35 nominations, including a single filly: Poolside With Slim, who broke her maiden on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream by 5 ½ lengths for owners Glen S. Bromagen II and Patrick Lewis and trainer George R. “Rusty” Arnold II.

    Other good-looking Columbia nominees include Hoolie Racing Stable’s Two Ghosts, who won the Gr. III Grey Stakes on Nov. 4 at Woodbine, trained by Barbara Minshall; Shards, trainer Kelsey Danner’s Florida-bred colt who finished a respectable fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita; Patriot Spirit, who won the Inaugural Sakes here on Dec. 2 for trainer Michael Campbell; conditioner Arnaud Delacour’s Fulmineo, runner-up in the Gr. II Pilgrim Stakes on Oct. 4 at the Belmont At The Big A meet; and trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo’s Full Nelson, who has won three races in a row while climbing the class ladder.
Monday, February 26, 2024
Mandatory payout set for Sunday . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will have an estimate pool of $700,000 when racing resumes Wednesday at Gulfstream Park with a 1:10 p.m. first race post time.

    A mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 pool has been scheduled for Sunday. The week will also feature Saturday’s 78th running of the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, Gulfstream’s next step for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Florida Derby on March 30. The 14-race Saturday program features nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.85 million in purses.

    Wednesday’s sequence will begin with Race 3, a maiden claiming event for fillies and mares at a mile and 70 yards on Tapeta. The day’s featured seventh race will be a $91,000 allowance optional claiming event at 1 ½ miles on the turf for 4-year-olds and up. Value Engineering, winner of last winter’s Gr. II Mac Diarmida are among the 10 entered.
Monday, February 26, 2024
3yo Palace Zip wins in first start . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Bridlewood Farm homebred Palace Zip, a first-time starter by Palace Malice, came with a steady run down the center of the track to surge past Reina Mar and Mi Amore and give trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. his 1,000th career win in Sunday’s finale at Gulfstream Park.

  Ridden by Edgard Zayas and sent off the 5-2 favorite in a field of eight, Palace Zip ($7) covered 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather Tapeta in 1:43.58 to capture the maiden claimer for 3-year-old fillies. It was Joseph’s lone starter on Sunday’s program.

    “It’s amazing,” Joseph said after being recognized and posing for photos in a winner’s circle ceremony. “I remember the first one and here we are at 1,000. The first probably 200 took five or six years and it was a struggle, and the last 800 have come pretty quickly. We’ve gotten the opportunities from the owners and that’s what you need. Without the owners, you can’t do it. There’s no trainer without horses, and the owners produce the horses.”

    A native of Barbados, the 37-year-old Joseph has won eight consecutive titles at Gulfstream Park since finishing second during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet. He has led the nation’s premiere winter gathering each of the past two years, dethroning 18-time winner and Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

    Joseph is on track for a third straight Championship Meet title, leading the 2023-2024 stand in wins (47), starters (223) and purses earned ($2.37 million). Among his victories are six stakes-winners, including O’Connor in the Gr. III Harlan’s Holiday, R Harper Rose in the Gr. III Forward Gal and Honor D Lady in the Gr. III Royal Delta.

    Married with two children, Joseph is a third-generation horseman following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. At the age of 22, he became the youngest trainer to win the Barbados Triple Crown with Areutalkintome in 2009.

    Joseph came to the U.S. two years later and finished seventh with his first starter, Go Zapper, on April 10, 2011 at Tampa Bay Downs. His first win came on June 19, 2011 at Calder Race Course with Artefacto, and he saddled his first stakes- winner, Saraguaro, in the 2015 Foolish Pleasure at Gulfstream Park.

    Math Wizard, a horse he claimed for $25,000, put Joseph on the national stage by winning the 2019, Gr. I  Pennsylvania Derby, the trainer’s first graded stakes victory. Joseph has 33 career graded triumphs including Gr. 1 success with White Abarrio in the 2022 Florida Derby, Mischevious Alex in the Carter Handicap and Drain the Clock in the Woody Stephens, both in 2021.

    Joseph set career highs with 201 wins in 2021 and $10.66 million in purse earnings last year. He has trained three millionaires – Skippylongstocking, Math Wizard and White Abarrio – and has ranked in the top 12 nationally in wins and/or purse earnings since 2020.

    Other top horses trained by Joseph include multiple graded-stakes winners O’Connor, Officiating and Tonalist’s Shape, as well as Three Witches, last year’s winner of Gulfstream’s Gr. III Princess Rooney who went on to be third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

    “We’re only as good as what the owners give us. That’s what makes trainers,” Joseph said. “We have to take care of them with the staff, and that’s what makes me. I’m one person that is head of 80 people that make me and make us as a unit. It’s not just me, it’s a credit to the whole staff. It’s a whole crew that makes this success possible and I’m very thankful to be in this position.”

Sunday, February 25, 2024
Leinster is sponsor of both $100,000 Stakes . . .

    (Joe and Helen Barbazon and their Pleasant Acres Stallions were well-represented in various ways at the big day of racing at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday. Leinster, who stands at the farm, had both featured stakes races named after him; Jordi's Dream, third in the $100,000 Leinster Lightning City Stakes is by Pleasant Acres' red-hot stallion, Neolithic; and Extendo, second by a neck in the $100,000 Leinster Turf Dash stakes is by former Pleasant Acres stallion Handsome Mike and was bred by the Barbazons in partnership with Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson).

    OLDSMAR - Few sounds you’ll hear are as joyous, and filled with love and gratitude, or as loud as the high-pitched yells coming from trainer Douglas Nunn after his 8-year-old gelding Smithwick’s Spice hung on under jockey Daniel Centeno to win the 21st running of the $100,000 Leinster Turf Dash Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs by a neck from Extendo.


    Nunn trained the winner’s dam, Spicy McHaggis, and his siblings. He has always believed in Smithwick’s Spice, but had doubts about entering him against the quality of competition in the Leinster Turf Dash.

    “I liked him cutting back in distance today (following a good second going 1 1/16-mile earlier this month at Gulfstream Park), but these were not just New Jersey-bred horses,” Nunn said once his state of near-hysteria subsided. “I was all ready to scratch him, but the owner (New Spice Stable’s Robert Matthies) said let’s take a shot.

    “He had never run against the big boys, and I didn’t want to take his heart away. But he showed he can run with the big boys,” added Nunn, who broke Smithwick’s Spice as a yearling.

    In the co-feature on the Turf Sprint Showcase Day card, Play the Music overcame early trouble to win the $100,000 Leinster Lightning City Stakes for older fillies and mares under jockey Antonio Gallardo. 

    Smithwick’s Spice’s time for the 5 furlongs on the grass was :55.98 seconds. Yes I Am Free, the wagering favorite, flattened out in the stretch and finished third, a half-length behind Extendo and ¾-lengths ahead of Thealligatorhunter. Storm the Court, the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, was a late scratch.

    Smithwick’s Spice paid $14.20 to win. He improved to 10-for-40 lifetime and the winner’s share of $45,000 raised his career earnings to $508,847. His only other stakes victory came in the 2022 Joey P. Handicap at Monmouth Park.

    Once Smithwick’s Spice showed Centeno he wanted the lead, the jockey rolled with the veteran campaigner and was richly rewarded. “He fought the entire way. I’ve ridden him before and he’s always run good for me,” Centeno said. “When I turned for home I saw (Antonio) Gallardo (on Yes I Am Free) outside me and I thought, he’s not going to go by me. My horse likes to fight, and he ran big today.” The victory was the first for Nunn at the meet from 15 starts. 

    “The reason I’m still here doing this is this horse,” Nunn said after rejoicing with his wife, Maria Claire Van Sant. “When this horse retires, I’ll retire. He doesn’t want to retire yet, so I guess I’m going to keep on going.

    “When you hang a bridle on some horses, it’s hard because they don’t always give you what they have. This horse has given everything he has from Day 1,” Nunn added, tears flowing freely.

    In the 21st running of the Leinster Lightning City Stakes, supplemental entry Play the Music launched an impressive stretch rally under Gallardo and rolled to a 2 ½-length victory from the other supplemental entry in the race, Howboutdemapples. Pace-setter Jordi’s Dream, a 50-1 shot, held on well for third. Covenant Lady closed well to be fourth.

    A scary moment occurred earlier in the stretch run when betting favorite Just a Care bumped with Howboutdemapples while trying to angle between rivals, causing Just a Care’s jockey Samy Camacho to lose his balance and fall from his mount. Camacho, the track’s leading jockey, walked back to the jockeys’ room after laying on the turf for about 2-3 minutes and was able to return to ride Sky’s Not Falling in the Leinster Turf Dash.

    Earlier in the race at about the 3/8-mile pole, Just a Care and Camacho came over on Play the Music while seeking position on the turn, forcing Gallardo to check sharply. But he was able to swing Play the Music outside, and from there the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred made quick work of her rivals en route to her fourth victory and first stakes triumph from 10 starts.

    Play the Music is owned by Glassman Racing and trained by Mark Casse. Her time for the 5-furlong distance was :55.98 seconds, .89 seconds off Jean Elizabeth’s 2020 stakes record.

    The 4-year-old Just a Care finished with good energy while riderless and was reported to be in good shape after returning to the backside. But her difficulties didn’t detract from the quality of Play the Music’s victory.

“(Casse’s assistant, Jimmy Miranda) told me this filly was ready, and that’s what she showed,” Gallardo said. “Thank God I could put her in gear again after getting checked. She gave me everything and I was able to get her in the clear and into the race.”

    Play the Music had won her previous race, a 7 ½-furlong turf event on Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park, but this may have been her best career performance. “Antonio had her tucked inside early, which was perfect,” Miranda said. “Then he was able to swing her outside and get her in the clear to make her run. If you read Chapter 7, that’s what it says to do.”

Thursday, February 22, 2024
Stallion stands at Pleasant Acres . . .

    OLDSMAR - By Saturday afternoon, the waiting will be over for 18 turf sprinters primed to show their best stuff against stakes competition.

    Postponed last week by a rainy weather forecast that lived up to its billing, the $100,000 Leinster Lightning City Stakes for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward and the $100,000 Leinster Turf Dash for horses 4-and-upward will be held on the Tampa Bay Downs turf course.

    Saturday's weather forecast calls for plenty of sunshine, with temperatures reaching the upper 60s.
    
    Both 5-furlong races have drawn nine horses, with 4-year-old filly Awesome Pic a “main track only” entrant in the Leinster Lightning City, which is scheduled as the seventh race. The Leinster Turf Dash is the ninth race.


    The first of 10 races begins at 12:18 . Saturday's card also includes the third legs of the Tampa Turf Test, as starter handicap event for older horses of both sexes which have started for a claiming price of $16,000 or less in 2023-24. The distance of both Tampa Turf Test races is a mile-and-an-eighth.

    The field for the Leinster Turf Dash is headed by a pair of graded stakes-winners, Yes I Am Free and Storm the Court. Yes I Am Free, an 8-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Golden Kernel Racing Stable and trained by Laura Cazares, has earned more than $750,000 in his career, highlighted by victories in the Gr. III Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes in 2022 and 2023. Antonio Gallardo has been named to ride Yes I Am Free.

    Storm the Court has two lifetime victories from 24 starts, but one came in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2019 at Santa Anita. The 7-year-old’s career earnings exceed $1.4-million.

    Owned by David A. Bernsen, Susanna Wilson and Peter Eurton and trained by William E. Morey, Storm the Court has finished second in two Tampa Bay Downs starts, both at the Leinster Turf Dash distance. Pablo Morales is the jockey.

    Another likely contender is Sky’s Not Falling, a hard-knocking 6-year-old gelding owned by R. Larry Johnson and R. D. M. Racing Stable and trained by Michael Trombetta. Samy Camacho has been named to ride. Sky’s Not Falling has won almost $400,000 in his career, highlighted by a victory in the 2022 Maryland Million Turf Sprint Stakes at Laurel.

    The Leinster Lightning City appears to be a wide-open affair. The field includes two stakes-winners: Boo Boo Kitty, owned by Rice Racing and trained by Kevin Rice, and She’s My Warrior, owned by Peter Mattson and Tim Padilla and trained by Padilla.

  Boo Boo Kitty, a 5-year-old Florida-bred mare, will be ridden by Morales. She won the 2022 Satin and Lace Stakes at Presque Isle Downs, but will be making her first start in more than 16 months.

    She’s My Warrior, a 5-year-old owned by Peter Mattson and Tim Padilla and trained by Padilla, is a two-time stakes-winner at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. She will be ridden by Alonso Quinonez.

Thursday, February 22, 2024
National Treasure won $20 million Pegasus . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Three of the first four finishers from Gulfstream’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, and a Florida Derby winner, will lead a field of 14 Saturday in the $20 million Saudi Cup.

    Fans can watch and wager on the Saudi Cup at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Post time for the Saudi Cup is 12:40 p.m. Gulfstream will also show the Neom Turf Cup and Red Sea Turf Handicap prior to the Saudi Cup.

    Pegasus winner National Treasure and runner-up Senor Buscador have made the trip for the Saudi Cup along with Hoist the Gold, who finished fourth. Bob Baffert, trainer of National Treasure, has also entered Defunded, second in the 2023 Pegasus World Cup.

    Joining those three is Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner White Abarrio, winner of the 2022 Florida Derby, and Japan’s Ushba Tesoro, winner of the 2023 Dubai World Cup (G1) and fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Classi
c.

            
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Tiger bows out with flu in 2nd round . . .

    The highlight of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera lasted only one round and a few holes when Tiger Wood withdrew on the front nine Friday with a touch of the flu after having posted a 1-over-par 72 on Thursday.

    It left a strong field fighting for the top prize of the $20 million purse, and heading into today's finale, Patrick Cantlay's 14 under par 199 (64-65-70) was two better than Xander Schauffele (70-66-65) and Will Zalatoris (66-70-65), making for the promise of a down-to-the-wire finish

    The 1-2 finishers in last week's WM Phoenix Open, Nick Taylor and Charley Hoffman, were never close, Taylor at 4 under and Hoffman at two over. Jordan Spieth was disqualified after signing a wrong scorecard. 

    There were no Gators or Seminoles in the short, but elite field, which began with 70 players.

    

Sunday, February 18, 2024
Maryquitecontrary finishes 3rd . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Final Furlong Farm and Madaket Stable’s Honor D Lady made her 4-year-old debut a memorable one Saturday by running away from nine others down the stretch to win the $150,000, Gr. III Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park.

    Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Honor D Lady covered the 1 1/16 mile in 1:44.74. Soul of an Angel was second and Maryquitecontrary rallied for the show. Honor D Lady returned $11.40.


    Honor D Lady ended her 3-year-old season with a third-place finish in the Gr. III Comely at Aqueduct in November after winning the Gr. III Remington Park Oaks in September. Earlier in the year she won the Honey Ryder at Gulfstream.

    Honor D Lady was settled off a :23.33 and :46.85 pace set by longshot Yuki before making her move around the final turn outside another Joseph runner in Libban. She entered the stretch with a clear advantage and the victory was never in doubt. It was the third win of the afternoon for Ortiz.


    “I watched the replay of when she won at Remington and Saffie told me how he wanted her to be ridden, so I followed instructions,” Ortiz said. “We wanted to go forward and if I could work my way to the clear, do that. I did that, and it worked out great.” “She ran big today off the layoff and we’re very happy to have a filly like this in our barn,” Joseph said. 

    Honor D Lady has now won on turf, dirt and Tapeta. Joseph said the Gr. I Apple Blossom at Oaklawn on April 13 might be the filly’s next start.

     Maryquitecontrary, a daughter of First Dude, had won seven of 13 starts, including seven for 10 at Gulfstream, and was coming into the Royal Delta off a third-place finish in the Gr. II Inside Information. But she had never raced around two turns. The filly rallied for the show.

    Tizzy in the Sky finished fourth. She was making her 5-year-old debut for trainer Todd Pletcher and was making her first start since finishing second Dec. 2 in the Gr. III Go For Wand at Aqueduct over a muddy track. She had won the Honey Ryder Stakes at Gulfstream in May.


    The Royal Delta is named in honor of Besilu Stable’s Hall of Fame mare who earned $4.8 million while racing between 2010 and 2013. Trained by Bill Mott, Royal Delta was a two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic as well as the Gr. I Beldame Invitational, Gr. I Alabama Stakes and Gr. II Black-Eyed Susan. The daughter of Empire Maker won the Gr. III Sabin Stakes at Gulfstream twice.

         
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
First Dude's 3rd highest earner . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH – Dr. Rod Lundock’s Maryquitecontrary will certainly be familiar with her surroundings Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the ultra-consistent 5-year-old mare has finished in the money in all 10 of her starts, including seven victories.

    The graded stakes-winning daughter of First Dude will be a stranger of sorts, however, when she puts her enviable one-turn record on the line in the $150,000, Gr. III Royal Delta, having never been tested around two turns at Gulfstream or elsewhere during her 13-race career.

    Maryquitecontrary drew the No. 2 post position for the 1 1/16-mile Royal Delta, which drew a field of 11 older fillies and mares.

    “I think it’s time for her to try. If she can go a mile on dirt, why not a mile and a sixteenth around two turns?’ trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said. “She drew good, I think, post position-wise. I like that post. We’ll find something out. Anytime I run a horse and find something out, it’s not a wasted effort no matter what happens for me.”

    Maryquitecontrary has won twice in her only two races at a one-turn mile, capturing back-to-back editions of the Rampart Stakes, including a going-away one-length victory in her first start for Plesa Dec. 30. She came back to finish third Jan. 27 in the Gr. II Inside Information, a seven-furlong test she won in 2023 by 2 ½ lengths.

    “She’s pretty straightforward. She’s a very sound horse. You don’t have to worry about stuff like that. She’s fun to be around. She has a personality – not all horses do,” Plesa said. “It’s nice to be around her. It’s nice to go to the barn everyday and see her in that stall. She appreciates all the extra TLC, which she certainly deserves. But we try to give them all a little TLC.”

    Maryquitecontrary has employed a drop-back, late-kick running style while amassing a bankroll of $622,805 during a career that includes a close second-place finish behind Goodnight Olive in the 2023 Gr. I Madison. Regular jockey Luca Panici has the return mount.

    Saffie Joseph Jr., the two-time defending Championship Meet titlist who currently leads this season’s trainer standings, is represented by four in the Royal Delta field – Final Furlong Farm and Madaket Stable’s Honor D Lady, Vegso Racing Stable’s Imonra, Sean Defreitas’ Rosie’s Halo and C2 Racing Stable and Paul Braverman’s Libban.

    Honor D Lady has earned the distinction of having been triumphant on dirt, turf and Tapeta. The 4-year-old daughter of Honor Code, who captured the Honey Ryder on turf last spring and finished second in the Gr. III Selene over Woodbine’s Tapeta course, is coming off a pair of solid efforts in graded stakes on dirt.

    Honor D Lady captured the Sept. 24, Gr. III Remington Park Oaks before concluding her 3-year-old campaign with a solid third-place finish in the Nov. 25, Gr. III Comely at Aqueduct.

    “After the last race it was by design to give her a little break and point to the Royal Delta. Everything has gone according to plan, so she goes in there with a good chance,” Joseph said. “She’s drawn well. She’s going to need to improve facing older horses for the first time, but it seems like she has improved and since she’s gone to the dirt she’s gotten better.” Jose Ortiz has the call.

    Imonra enters the Royal Delta off a second-place finish behind Maryquitecontrary in the Rampart. The 4-year-old daughter of Violence finished second in the Gr. III Iowa Oaks last season. Rosie’s Halo finished fourth in the Rampart. Libban won a Gulfstream optional claiming allowance by four lengths before finishing fourth in the Jan. 13 Wayward Lass at Tampa Bay Downs.

    Edgard Zayas has the return mount on Imonra, while Javier Castellano will ride Rosie’s Halo for the first time. Edwin Gonzalez has the call on Libban.

    KimDon Racing’s Tizzy in the Sky, a vastly improved 5-year-old daughter of Sky Kingdom, is slated to make her 2024 debut in the Royal Delta after finishing her 2023 campaign with a runner-up finish in the Dec. 2, Gr. III Go For Wand at Aqueduct. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has awarded the mount to Irad Ortiz Jr.

    Godolphin’s Nostalgic, who finished second in the Nov. 18, Gr. II Chilukki at Churchill Downs before finishing a disappointing sixth in the Rampart; Mark Grier’s Opus Forty Two, a multiple graded stakes-placed daughter of Mendelssohn who captured the Wayward Lass;  Haras Lizzie Inc.’s Yuki, a winner at Del Mar and Los Alamitos last season; Gerald James and Hall Performance’s South of an Angel, an optional claiming allowance at Tampa last time out; and Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Magical Lute, who finished third in the Wayward Lass; round out the field.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
3yo filly has earned $99,000 . . .
    Michael Lund Petersen’s Kinza (Carpe Diem – Secret Wonder) is two for two and a graded stakes-winner, going straight to the front and never looking back en route to a two-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000, Gr. III Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old filly by millionaire OBS graduate Carpe Diem was purchased for $30,000 out of the Summerfield consignment at the 2022 OBS October Sale and has earned $99,000 to date. 

    Victoriam Farm’s Stone Silent (Adios Charlie – Travelator) led a 1-2-3 OBS sweep of Gulfstream’s $115,000 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes on Sunday, taking over turning for home, opening daylight in the stretch and finishing best by 2/14 lengths over Choose Joy (Munnings – Elegantly), with Fulminate (Get Stormy – E Built This City) settling for third. It’s the third stakes victory for the 4-year-old Florida-bred filly by Adios Charlie, trained by Brian Lynch, now 1-4-2-1 with $290,838 in earnings. Consigned by Ocala Stud, Agent, to the 2022 OBS March Sale, she was sold for $410,000 after working an Under Tack quarter in :20 2/5. 
 

    Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Bin Aziz’ Just For Sul (Justify – Susie’s Baby) romped to a 3 1/2 length victory in the Gr. III Japan’s Cup on Friday at Riyadh, taking command on the turn and drawing away with ease. The 4-year-old daughter of Justify was purchased for $800,000 out of the Wavertree consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after breezing an Under Tack quarter in :21 1/5. 

    Lea Farms’s Power Squeeze (Union Rags – Callmethesqueeze) saved ground in the early going of the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, stayed inside to take charge a furlong out and pulled away to score by 2 3/4 lengths. It’s the second straight stakes victory for the 3-year-old daughter of Union Rags, now 5-3-1-0 for trainer Jorge Delgado with $188,650 in earnings. After breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5 at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, she was purchased for $90,000 out of the Halcyon Hammock consignment. 

   ed Zan wance at Santa Anita on Sunday. Breaking on top, the 3-year-old colt by Frosted set the pace, was headed after turning for home thRacing Stables’ Maymun (Frosted – Handwoven), a dazzling debut winner in January, tried two turns in his second start in an allowance then came again late to score by a neck. Consigned by Longoria Training & Sales, Agent, to the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he sped an Under Tack eighth in :9 3/5 and was sold for $900,000 to Donato Lanni, Agent. Two for two for trainer Bob Baffert, he has earned $79,200.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
3yo filly has earned $99,000 . . .
    Michael Lund Petersen’s Kinza (Carpe Diem – Secret Wonder) is two for two and a graded stakes-winner, going straight to the front and never looking back en route to a two-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000, Gr. III Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old filly by millionaire OBS graduate Carpe Diem was purchased for $30,000 out of the Summerfield consignment at the 2022 OBS October Sale and has earned $99,000 to date. 

    Victoriam Farm’s Stone Silent (Adios Charlie – Travelator) led a 1-2-3 OBS sweep of Gulfstream’s $115,000 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes on Sunday, taking over turning for home, opening daylight in the stretch and finishing best by 2/14 lengths over Choose Joy (Munnings – Elegantly), with Fulminate (Get Stormy – E Built This City) settling for third. It’s the third stakes victory for the 4-year-old Florida-bred filly by Adios Charlie, trained by Brian Lynch, now 1-4-2-1 with $290,838 in earnings. Consigned by Ocala Stud, Agent, to the 2022 OBS March Sale, she was sold for $410,000 after working an Under Tack quarter in :20 2/5. 
 

    Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Bin Aziz’ Just For Sul (Justify – Susie’s Baby) romped to a 3 1/2 length victory in the Gr. III Japan’s Cup on Friday at Riyadh, taking command on the turn and drawing away with ease. The 4-year-old daughter of Justify was purchased for $800,000 out of the Wavertree consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after breezing an Under Tack quarter in :21 1/5. 

    Lea Farms’s Power Squeeze (Union Rags – Callmethesqueeze) saved ground in the early going of the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, stayed inside to take charge a furlong out and pulled away to score by 2 3/4 lengths. It’s the second straight stakes victory for the 3-year-old daughter of Union Rags, now 5-3-1-0 for trainer Jorge Delgado with $188,650 in earnings. After breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5 at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, she was purchased for $90,000 out of the Halcyon Hammock consignment. 

   ed Zan wance at Santa Anita on Sunday. Breaking on top, the 3-year-old colt by Frosted set the pace, was headed after turning for home thRacing Stables’ Maymun (Frosted – Handwoven), a dazzling debut winner in January, tried two turns in his second start in an allowance then came again late to score by a neck. Consigned by Longoria Training & Sales, Agent, to the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he sped an Under Tack eighth in :9 3/5 and was sold for $900,000 to Donato Lanni, Agent. Two for two for trainer Bob Baffert, he has earned $79,200.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
3yo filly has earned $99,000 . . .
    Michael Lund Petersen’s Kinza (Carpe Diem – Secret Wonder) is two for two and a graded stakes-winner, going straight to the front and never looking back en route to a two-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000, Gr. III Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old filly by millionaire OBS graduate Carpe Diem was purchased for $30,000 out of the Summerfield consignment at the 2022 OBS October Sale and has earned $99,000 to date. 

    Victoriam Farm’s Stone Silent (Adios Charlie – Travelator) led a 1-2-3 OBS sweep of Gulfstream’s $115,000 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes on Sunday, taking over turning for home, opening daylight in the stretch and finishing best by 2/14 lengths over Choose Joy (Munnings – Elegantly), with Fulminate (Get Stormy – E Built This City) settling for third. It’s the third stakes victory for the 4-year-old Florida-bred filly by Adios Charlie, trained by Brian Lynch, now 1-4-2-1 with $290,838 in earnings. Consigned by Ocala Stud, Agent, to the 2022 OBS March Sale, she was sold for $410,000 after working an Under Tack quarter in :20 2/5. 
 

    Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Bin Aziz’ Just For Sul (Justify – Susie’s Baby) romped to a 3 1/2 length victory in the Gr. III Japan’s Cup on Friday at Riyadh, taking command on the turn and drawing away with ease. The 4-year-old daughter of Justify was purchased for $800,000 out of the Wavertree consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after breezing an Under Tack quarter in :21 1/5. 

    Lea Farms’s Power Squeeze (Union Rags – Callmethesqueeze) saved ground in the early going of the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, stayed inside to take charge a furlong out and pulled away to score by 2 3/4 lengths. It’s the second straight stakes victory for the 3-year-old daughter of Union Rags, now 5-3-1-0 for trainer Jorge Delgado with $188,650 in earnings. After breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5 at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, she was purchased for $90,000 out of the Halcyon Hammock consignment. 

    Zedan Racing Stables Maymun (Frosted-Handwoven), a dazzling debut winner in January, tried two turns in his second start in an allowance at Santa Anita on Sunday. Breaking on top, the 3-year-old colt set the pace, was headed after turning for home, then came again late to score by a neck. Consigned by Longoria Training & Sales, Agent, to the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he sped an Under Tack eighth in :9 3/5 and was sold for $900,000 to Donato Lanni, Agent. Two for two for trainer Bob Baffert, he has earned $79,200.
Monday, February 12, 2024
Defends his 2023 crown . . .

By the Marion County Golf Association

  Brent Dorman successfully defended his Marion Masters Senior title. The 36-hole tournament, which is for Marion County residents who are least 50 years old, finished at Ocala Golf Club.

    Dorman shot a final round 4-under-par 68 which gave him two-day total of 4-under-par 140. Finishing in second was Steve Humphrey who was also under par. Humphrey, who finished second nationally for Super Senior Amateur in 2023, shot a 1-under par 143. In third place was Tommy Lowe with a 148 score. Fourth place was Jeff Morley at 149 and tied for fifth were Richie Crile and Scott Goldbach with 150s.

    Winning the Super Senior Division was Jeff Faulkner, who shot back-to-back 3-under-par 69’s for a 6-under-par 138 total. Coming in second place was Robert Parmar with a 2-under-par 142. Tied for third were Phillip Yancey and Bob Bailey with 145. Bill Zylstra was alone in fifth with a 147 total.

    In separate division play, it was Dorman winning the 50-59 title with his 140 finish followed by Richie Crile and Scot Goldbach at 150. In fourth place was Lyle Livengood with a 152 and Paul Irvin was fifth with 155.

    Winning the Silver Senior Division (60-64) was Humphrey with his 143 followed by Lowe at 148. Third place went to Morley at 149 and finishing in a tie for fifth was Bill Knapp and John McLeod at 150.

    In the 65-69 Super Senior Division Faulkner topped the list with his 138 followed by Parmar at 142, Yancey at 145, Dave Falcone with 150 and David Mears at 152.

    In the Golden Seniors Division (70-74) Bailey was first at 145 with a Zylstra second at 147. Jim Prendergast was third at 148 with Mike Arminio and Laurie Harrison tied for fifth at 150.

    There was a tie for the top spot in the Legends (75+). Randy Briggs and Ron Russo ended up with 155 scores. Briggs shot 78-77 and Russo shot 76-79. Finishing third was Tom Stephenson at 157 (83-74) and Dick McDonough was fourth with 162 (88-74).

CHIP SHOTS – Several participants shot their age in the tournament. Dick McDonough (75) shot 74, Bob Bailey (71) shot 69, Bill Zylstra (72) shot 71, Mike Armino (74) shot 71 Robert Parmar (69) shot 67, Jim Prendergast (72) shot 72, Tom Stephenson (76) posted a 74 and Ron Russo (80) shot 76 and 79.

Monday, February 12, 2024
He hasn't played since last April . . .

    Tiger hasn't teed it up since last April at The Masters and he'll make his return this week in the tournament he's affiliated with, the Genesis Invitational at famed Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. With Tiger in the fold, huge crowds can be expected to swarm over the par-71, 7,322-yard layout.

    There is no defending champ since last year's winner, Jon Rahm, defected to the not-doing-so-well LIV golf tour. Rahm shot 17 under par and collected $3.6 million, obviously not enough to satisfy his rich tastes. Runner-up Max Homa, who was 15 under and earned $2,180,000, is returning, along with third-place Patrick Cantlay (14 under, $1,380,000) and fourth-place Will Zalatoris (13 under, $980,000). 

    Also in the top-flight field are Nick Taylor and Charley Hoffman, 1-2 in the WM Phoenix Open, which wound up yesterday. Hoffman, 47, hadn't won since 2016 and appeared to be on his way to breaking that streak until Taylor made some late birdies, and they finished in a tie at 21 under par. Taylor then birdied the second playoff hole to take home the $1,584,000 top prize, while Hoffman banked $959,000.

    Seminole Daniel Berger, recently returned to the tour, finished tied for 28th at 8 under and collected $53,000. Gator Billy Horschel's 6 under tied for 41st and was good for $30,404, while Tyson Alexander tied for 53rd at 4 under and took home $20,529. In the recent Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Tyson tied for 48th at 3 under and earned $22,821. Camilo Villegas missed the cut of 2 under par by one stroke.

    There are no Gators or Seminoles playing this week.

    

    

Sunday, February 11, 2024
No More Time pays $8.60; 10-1 in morning line . . .

    OLDSMAR - For much of the Gr. III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, winning jockey Paco Lopez felt like he was living a dream.

    Lopez’s instructions from trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo were to try to break well from the No. 5 post and sit in a stalking position early in the mile-and-a-sixteenth race. But as 3-year-old thoroughbreds often do, No More Time took matters into his own hooves and surged to the lead from the outset, with Lopez happy to go along for the ride.

    Despite running a 4-furlong split of :46.61 seconds and a 6-furlong time of 1:10.81 that were faster than both men wanted, the Iowa-bred son of Not This Time-Baroness Juliette, by Speightstown, had the vigor to turn back a serious challenge from longshot West Saratoga at the top of the stretch, then hold off Agate Road for 1 1/4-length victory.

    West Saratoga held on for third, with Elysian Meadows fourth in the 12-horse field. Both Everdoit, who swerved into the gate at the start, and jockey Huber Villa-Gomez, who was unseated, were pronounced fine after the race.

    No More Time, who won for the second time in four starts, completed the distance in 1:43.26, .82 seconds off Flameaway’s 2018 stakes record. The winner picked up 20 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” toward earning a spot in the May 4 Run for the Roses starting gate at Churchill Downs.

    No More Time paid $8.60 to win as the betting favorite despite being 10-1 on the morning line.

    To Lopez and D’Angelo, the race couldn’t have unfolded any better.

    (D'Angelo) told me to put on the brakes out of the gate and sit third or fourth, but my horse broke unbelievable and I let him go,” Lopez said. “The pace was a little faster than I wanted, but his first and second quarters were very natural. I had plenty of horse the whole way and when I asked him, he gave me everything.”   

    An apparent dearth of early speed in the race led D’Angelo to try to have No More Time lay second, third or fourth early, but he was not overly concerned when the horse went to the lead on his own. D’Angelo said a 5-furlong breeze in 1:00 on Feb. 3 at Palm Meadows Training Center set him up perfectly for such an effort.

    “That was a monster move,” D’Angelo said. “He took the lead with no problem today. I said before the race we wanted a good start and we’ll see what happens, but (No More Time) did it on his own.”

    The conditioner is hopeful of returning to Oldsmar for the Gr. III, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 9. “We will make the right decision for the horse, not for us,” D’Angelo said. “But if everything is in good order we’ll probably come back because he likes it here.”

   Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo purchased No More Time for $40,000 as a yearling and are partners in the colt with Morplay Racing, the father-son team of Orlando resident Rich Mendez and his son Josh. “We decided to keep him instead of selling him, and it’s an amazing feeling to win this race,” Rich Mendez said.

    “I spoke to Paco after the race and he said the horse was just playing with them. After his last race (fifth in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream), when he fell about 10 lengths back and still came back and tried to compete, we really felt good about him. He has so much heart.”

    Lopez also won the 11th and final race on the turf on Embrace Me, a 4-year-old filly owned by Mark T. Anderson and trained by Tom Albertrani, to sweep the late daily double.

Friday, February 9, 2024
Change of Command listed at 3-1 . . .
    OLDSMAR - Change of Command, a winner of his two most recent starts at Gulfstream Park, has been installed as a 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 44th running of the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.

    The mile-and-a-sixteenth Sam F. Davis is the 10th race on an 11-race Festival Day 44 card, with post time for the first race at 12:27 p.m. Three other stakes are scheduled: the $150,000, mile-and-40-yard Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies; the $100,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes for horses 4-years-old-and-upward; and the $50,000, 6-furlong Minaret Stakes for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

    All four stakes races will be run on the main dirt track. The Sam F. Davis is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race, with the first five finishers earning 20, 10, 6, 4 and 2 points toward qualifying for a berth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve starting gate on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

    It’s the same deal for the Suncoast, which will award the first five finishers the same number of points toward qualifying for the Longines Kentucky Oaks on May 3.

    Several high-profile jockeys from Gulfstream Park will head north for the Festival Preview Day gathering, with Tyler Gaffalione, Jose Ortiz and Junior Alvarado named to ride in all four stakes. Gaffalione has the mount on Change of Command, replacing Ortiz, who will ride 7-2 second choice Agate Road for trainer Todd Pletcher.

    Change of Command, who is owned by the Courtlandt Farms operation of Donald Adam and trained by Claude “Shug” McGaughey, III, will break from the No. 9 post in a 12-horse field.

    “I think he’s done really well since his last race” (an allowance/optional claiming victory at the Sam F. Davis distance on Jan. 5 at Gulfstream Park), McGaughey said this morning. “He is a talented horse who still has a lot to learn, and we’re giving him that chance.

    “I think all of his races have been good. His workouts have been good, and if everything goes right they (the competition and his connections) are going to know he’s in there. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Tyler. My instructions to him will be to play the break, see what happens and give him a place to run when the time comes.”

    The trainer plans to add blinkers to Change of Command’s equipment Saturday. “All of his races, he’s been hanging a little, and hopefully blinkers will keep him from doing that and he’ll continue his run,” McGaughey said.

    It’s not unusual for the Sam F. Davis to appear as a wide-open race, given that most of the horses are just getting their 3-year-old seasons rolling. In fact, only one of the 12 has actually celebrated his actual 3rd birthday: Agate Road, the St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable-owned colt who was born on Jan. 25, 2021.

    Agate Road, who will break from the No. 6 post, won the Grade II Pilgrim Stakes on the turf last October at the Belmont At The Big A meet, and four of his five starts have been on turf. He ran second in his career debut last August at Saratoga in a race that was switched from the turf to the dirt.

    In addition to Agate Road, Pletcher will start Tireless, who broke his maiden here on Jan. 14 going a mile-and-40-yards. Antonio Gallardo is the jockey.

    “Both (Agate Road and Tireless) have shown improvement in their dirt breezes,” Pletcher said in a text message.

    The third morning-line choice at 5-1 is trainer Gary Capuano’s colt Copper Tax, who will break from the No. 7 post under jockey Charlie Marquez. Copper Tax concluded his 2-year-old campaign on a five-race winning streak, including the Rocky Run Stakes at Delaware Park and the James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel Park, before finishing sixth in the Grade II Remsen Stakes on Dec. 2 at Aqueduct.

    Oldsmar-based trainers such as Michael Campbell, who will saddle 6-1 shot Patriot Spirit for leading Tampa Bay Downs jockey Samy Camacho, and Gregg Sacco, the conditioner of 10-1 Crazy Mason, believe they can be right in the mix. Crazy Mason, who will break from the No. 4 post under Mychel Sanchez, won a mile-and-40-yard allowance on Jan. 14, 6 weeks after finishing second to Patriot Spirit in the Inaugural Stakes.

    “We’re going into the Davis with a lot of confidence,” Sacco said. “He (Crazy Mason) overcame a slow pace last time and finished full of run, and he galloped out super. He’s had two workouts since then and is thriving” (Sacco said no time was recorded last Saturday when Crazy Mason worked in a thick fog).

    “We’re expecting a big effort from our colt,” Sacco added. ‘We’re glad to be a part of it and hope for the best for everybody.”

    The “forgotten” horse in the Sam F. Davis may be Grade III winner West Saratoga, who finished second in his lone Tampa Bay Downs start in the Jan. 13 Pasco Stakes, albeit 12 ½ lengths behind Book’em Danno.

    West Saratoga, who is owned by Harry L. Veruchi and trained by Larry Demeritte, will be ridden by Jesus Castanon.

    “This is one of the stronger bunches he’s run against, and this race could determine how good he is,” Demeritte said. “I think he is peaking at the right time, and he has the versatility to race on the lead or come from mid-pack, like he did in the (Grade III Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 16 at Churchill Downs).

    "What impressed me in the Pasco is that he got checked on the turn and started running again. A lot of horses will pack it in in that situation, and he has continued to train well since then. I wouldn’t trade my horse for anyone’s,” Demeritte said.

    In the Suncoast, which is the fifth race, Pletcher’s filly Life Talk has been made the 3-5 favorite against five opponents. Owned by Repole Stable, she will be ridden by Jose Ortiz. Life Talk won the Grade II, mile-and-an-eighth Demoiselle Stakes on Irad Ortiz, Jr., Jose’s brother, to earn her favorite’s role.

    “She’s progressing very well,” Pletcher noted. “We’re excited to get her back going.”

    The second choice in the Suncoast at 5-2 is Gulfstream Park stakes winner Power Squeeze, who is trained by Jorge Delgado and will be ridden by Daniel Centeno. McGaughey will send out Courtlandt Farms’s Whocouldaskformo, who broke her maiden here on Dec. 31 going a mile-and-40-yards. Gaffalione will be aboard.

    In the Pelican Stakes, slated as the eighth race, 6-year-old gelding Sibelius will bid to become the sixth horse to capture back-to-back runnings of the race (Above the Wind actually won three consecutive Pelicans, from 2003-2006). Owned by Jun H. Park and Delia Nash and trained by Jeremiah O’Dwyer, Sibelius will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.

    Sibelius, who used last year’s crackerjack Pelican score as a prep for a victory six weeks later in the lucrative Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored By Nakheel at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates, appears to be rounding into similar form, if his 4-length victory in the Grade III Mr. Prospector Stakes on Dec. 23 at Gulfstream Park is an indication.

    Sibelius is the 3-1 morning-line second choice, behind trainer Wesley Ward’s 5-year-old gelding Nakatomi at 9-5. Nakatomi, who will be piloted by Gaffalione, finished third in the Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, behind subsequent Eclipse Award Champion Male Sprinter Elite Power and multiple-Grade I winner Gunite.

    An eight-horse field in the Minaret Stakes, scheduled as the seventh race, is headed by 5-year-old mare Chi Town Lady, trained by Wesley Ward. Established as the 5-2 morning-line choice, she will break from the No. 2 post under Gaffalione. Chi Town Lady competed only twice in 2023, finishing third both times, but will be difficult to defeat if she can approach her form while winning the Grade I Longines Test Stakes in the summer of 2022 at Saratoga.

    Arroyo is Boot Barn Jockey of the Month. In recent weeks, Angel Arroyo has displayed a knack for winning close finishes, with seven of his 11 most recent victories by less than a length. His agent, former jockey Jose Angel Garcia, says that streak can be attributed in large part to Arroyo’s excellent skills as a gate rider.

    “He’s unbelievable at positioning horses out of the gate,” Garcia said. “Horses break sharp for him, and they are always right there in contention.”

    Arroyo won today’s second race on 5-year-old mare Downton Tabby, enabling him to climb into a tie for ninth place in the Oldsmar standings with Kevin Gomez with 15 winners each. The victory on the 13-1 shot clinched the Boot Barn Jockey of the Month Award for the 34-year-old Panama City, Panama product.

    Arroyo doesn’t have an explanation for his recent string of close victories, other than crediting the sort of consistency every jockey strives for. “I ride hard on every horse and try to do the best I can. That’s my job,” he said. “There is a lot of competition here this year, and I like that. Horse racing is a sport of highs and lows, but I try to stay upbeat.”

    Arroyo cracked the top 10 in last year’s Oldsmar standings with 28 winners and followed that up by riding 57 winners at Delaware Park, finishing in third place. He has 1,385 career victories, including 446 from 2010-2012.

    The graduate of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Technical Jockey Training Academy won the 2012 Parx Racing jockeys’ title with 160 winners.

    “He’s one of the greatest I’ve ever had as an agent. This guy can ride horses,” Garcia said.

    Arroyo and leading jockey Samy Camacho both walked off the track under their own power after a freak incident at the start of the eighth race. Funny Man, Arroyo’s mount, stumbled breaking from the No. 4 post in the mile-and-a-sixteenth race, dumping Arroyo. Funny Man then veered into the path of No. 3 Frosty the Soldier, who unseated Camacho.

    When Arroyo released his reins after falling, they became tangled around the rear leg of Frosty the Soldier, and the two horses raced in tandem that way for several strides before they managed to disengage themselves and continue on their journey. Both horses were corralled by Tampa Bay Downs outriders, and the two jockeys and two horses, it appears, escaped with nothing worse than a weird shared anecdote.

    Morales returns with third-place finish. For a few fleeting seconds, veteran jockey Pablo Morales thought he might be headed to the winner’s circle aboard Lucky in Love in today’s fifth race, his first start since Nov. 25.

    Morales and his 4-year-old filly, owned and trained by Ron G. Potts, had to settle for a third-place finish in the maiden claiming turf event, won by Algarca. But getting back into action for the first time after breaking his left wrist in a training accident signaled that the 35-year-old rider is prepared to hit the ground running in his return.

    “I’ve been OK for a couple of weeks already, but I wanted to make sure I had everything tight and flexible before I went out there. Everything is perfect,” he said. “I wasn’t really thinking much about anything except trying to do my best, make the right decisions and following the right horse, the No. 9” (eventual runner-up Far Above).

    Morales, who has ridden 2,626 winners in his career, made the process sound about as easy as riding a bicycle after a long time off. “It was definitely cool, but it didn’t seem that strange to me. You just go back to it like (the injury) never happened,” he said. “You get prepared, you focus and you can go for it, and that’s what I did.

    “My horse tried hard and did everything she could. She will win,” he added.

    Around the oval ---Apprentice jockey Gabriel Maldonado rode three winners today. He captured the first race with Just Plain Ornery, a 5-year-old gelding owned by Barbara Anderson and Juan Arriagada and trained by Arriagada. Just Plain Ornery was claimed from the race for $8,000 by trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo for new owner Moshe Mark.

    Maldonado added the fourth race on Ritz On Broadway, a 3-year-old filly owned by Joseph Irace and Alfred Noll and trained by Wayne Potts.

    Maldonado also won the sixth race on Victory Line, a 4-year-old gelding owned by David A. Bernsen LLC and trained by William E. Morey.

    Leading jockey Samy Camacho rode two winners. He won the third race on Good Value, a 4-year-old filly owned by Julian De Mora, Jr., and trained by Juan Carlos Avila. Camacho added the seventh on the turf with Full Nelson, a 3-year-old colt owned by Gold Square, LLC, Joseph R. Hardoon and Jose Francisco D’Angelo and trained by D’Angelo.

    There will be a forced payout Sunday in the 20-cent Ultimate 6 wager, in which the jackpot normally is distributed any time a single bettor has all six winners. That stipulation will be waived Sunday, rewarding anyone picking all six winners with their share of the total pool.

    If nobody hits all six, the jackpot will still go to anyone picking 5-of-6 (or 4-of-6, if that’s the best result).

    The jackpot climbed to $103,047 today. Track officials estimate that the jackpot could rise to the vicinity of $500,000 if no bettor claims it Friday or Saturday, but there will be a forced payout Sunday regardless.



Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Insurance plan is cost effective . . .
    Hallandale Beach - The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, located at Gulfstream Park, announces that applications are being accepted for their workers’ compensation program. Implemented in November 2023, the plan has been enthusiastically received and already provides coverage for more than 50 trainers.

    This unique horse racing industry insurance program provides affordable workers’ compensation insurance coverage to trainers for their backstretch employees, including assistant trainers, exercise riders, grooms, and hot walkers. Trainers pay a start fee that is determined after loss runs are provided. Those who race at Gulfstream Park year-round receive a $50 subsidy from the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, making the insurance plan extremely cost effective.  

    “This new policy provides substantial savings in expenses for resident trainers at Gulfstream Park,” said trainer Ron Spatz. “The security of knowing all of my employees are covered at a sizable cost savings – without the risk of being dropped or facing a rate increase if a claim is filed – was a huge factor when I decided to sign up for the program.”


    The Horsemen’s Workers’ Compensation Insurance Trust provides all state coverage with the exception of New York, California, Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.

    “I am grateful for the years of dedication and hard work the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has done to make this possible for us,” said trainer Jose Garoffalo. “In the past, finding coverage for backstretch employees was not only difficult, it was very costly. And, if there was a previous claim in the past few years, the insurance would either be too expensive or nearly impossible to find. This program is a blessing for trainers at Gulfstream Park.”


    The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association’s motto is “horsemen helping horsemen.” FTHA diligently represents the interests of Thoroughbred horse owners and trainers who do business in Florida – always working to foster and promote relationships with tracks, community, and government.  This workers’ compensation program ensures that Florida’s hardworking trainers can protect their employees while getting the benefit of a dramatic reduction in premiums.

    “In the past, Gulfstream Park trainers faced difficulties when it came to obtaining reasonably priced workers’ compensation policies for their backstretch employees,” said FTHA Executive Director Herb Oster. “Finding a solution that made sense has been on the forefront of our efforts for several years and we are pleased to be able to provide this program that ultimately saves our trainers thousands of dollars a year.”

    To apply for The Horsemen’s Workers’ Compensation Trust, contact Jana Schwartz in the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen Association office at Gulfstream Park, call 759-256-7142, or email: [email protected].

 


Monday, February 5, 2024
Four win Saturday at Gulfstream . . .

    Baoma Corp.’s Nysos (Nyquist – Netta Z) romped to the head of the 3-year-old class in Saturday’s $201,000, Gr. III Robert E. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday with a sharp 7-1/2 length victory. The 3-year-old son of Nyquist rated nicely off the lead, swept to the front on the turn and cruised to an easy win.  Fellow OBS graduate Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso – Deanaallen’skitten) settled for second. Trained by Bob Baffert, he’s now three for three by a combined 26 3/4 lengths and has earned $216,600. At the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he sped an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5 and was purchased for $550,000 out of the Best A Luck Farm consignment by Donato Lanni, Agent for Baoma Corp.  

Four OBS grads scored in stakes races at Gulfstream on Saturday.

    D. J. Stable and Robert Cotran’s Hades (Awesome Slew – The Shady Lady) is three for three and a graded stakes -winner, jumping into the Triple Crown picture with a victory in the $250,000, Gr.III Holy Bull Stakes . The 3-year-old Florida-bred son of Awesome Slew took the early lead, turned back a bid by champion Fierceness turning for home and drew off to win by two lengths. Trained by Joe Orseno, he has earned $225,000 to date. Consigned by Ocala Stud to the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he was sold for $130,000 after breezing an Under Tack quarter in:21 1/5. 

    Repole Stable’s Life’s an Audible (Audible – Catkins) scored her first stakes win in the $175,000, Gr. III Sweetest Chant Stakes. The 3-year-old daughter of Audible was well behind, rallied wide on the turn and was up in the final yards to score by a neck. Consigned by Britton Peak, Agent, to the 2023 OBS Sale., she was sold for $200,000 after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5. Now 6-2-2-0 for trainer Todd Pletcher, she has earned $243,045. 

     Averill Racing and Two Eight Racing’s R Harper Rose (Khozan – True Bliss) pressed the pace in the early going of the $145,000 Forward Gal Stakes (G3), took over at the head of the stretch and cruised to a two-length victory. Fellow OBS graduate Chi Chi (Audible – Simply Confection) checked in third. It’s the first graded stakes win for the 3-year-old Florida-bred filly by Khozan, trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., now 5-4-1-0 with $344,025 in earnings. At the 2023 OBS March Sale, she breezed an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5 before being purchased out of the GOP Racing Stable consignment for $60,000. 

    Frank DeLuca’s Frankie’s Empire (Classic Empire – Donna D) rated off the pace early in the $125,000 Swale Stakes, rallied wide go reach contention, took over a furlong from home and was best by 3 1/2 lengths. It’s the first stakes victory for the 3-year-old son of Classic Empire, now 7-4-0-1 with $185,700 earnings for trainer Michael Yates. Consigned by McKathan Bros. Sales to the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he was sold for $20,000 after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 2/5. 

     Lea Farms, LLC’s Super Chow (Lord Nelson – Bonita Mia) went right to the front in Aqueduct’s $175,000, Gr. III Toboggan Stakes and was long gone, romping to a 4 1/4 length victory. It’s the first graded stakes win for the 4-year-old Lord Nelson colt, purchased for $75,000 out of the Eisaman Equine consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after breezing an eighth in :10 flat at the Under Tack Show. Trained by Jorge Delgado, he has compiled a 16-7-4-4 record and earned $590,650.  

    Gary Barber’s Bron and Brow (Gormley – Changing Vista) took his second straight stakes race, capturing Delta Downs’ $100,000 Louisiana Bred Premier Sprint Stakes on Sunday by a length and three quarters. It’s the fifth stakes victory for the 5-year-old son of Gormley, purchased for $200,000 out of the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale after working an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. Now 17-7-4-3 for trainer Mark Casse, he has earned $444,370.

Sunday, February 4, 2024
Defeats champion Fierceness at odds of 9-1 . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Repole Stable’s Fierceness was an imposing favorite to win Saturday’s $250,000, Gr. III Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, but D J Stable and Robert Cotran’s Hades was hardly intimidated by the 2023 Eclipse Award-winning juvenile.

    Undefeated in two prior starts, Hades took it to the champion and his six other rivals right from the start of the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds, breaking alertly to go to the front and never looking back to register a 9-1 upset victory. The 35th running of the Holy Bull, a prep for the March 30 Curlin Florida Derby, headlined Saturday’s 12-race program with five stakes for 3-year-olds, including four graded stakes.

     Joe Orseno-trained Hades withstood pressure from Inveigled early and Fierceness late but still had enough in reserve in the stretch to kick away from the 1-5 favorite, who faded to third. Late-running Domestic Product finished second, two lengths behind the winner and 1 ½ lengths ahead of Fierceness.

    “The plan was to go to the lead, but if somebody was pushing him, he was going to rate him. It looked like he started to do that when that one horse went up to him, and then Paco had to go. He knew it,” Orseno said. “When the horse accelerates, he’s just got another gear at the top of the stretch. He showed it to us last time. Of course, a champion eyeballs him and he dug in and took off. He ran away from a very good horse. It was our day today. We’ll see next time, but right now we’ll enjoy the moment.”

    Fierceness broke with the field from his No. 7 post and was outsprinted to the lead by Hades and Inveigled while racing in traffic. Hades cut the corner from his rail post position to show the way heading into the backstretch, as Fierceness worked his way clear of traffic to sit third on the outside of Inveigled past fractions of 25:03 and 50.53 for a half mile. John Velazquez sent Fierceness after the pacesetter and the two entered the stretch head-and head, but the Todd Pletcher-trained champion shortened stride as Hades kicked away under Paco Lopez.

    “He didn’t get off to a very good start. The inside horse bumped him pretty good and then he got sandwiched and kind of had to shove him into the race and try to get the position we wanted, which we eventually did. But, he had to overcome a pretty rough start to get there,” Pletcher said. “It seemed like he got into a good rhythm and straightened away for home and just kind of flattened out a little bit. I’m disappointed in the outcome. I think if you watch the replay of the start, it was a pretty rough start, kind of similar to what happened in the Champagne. If he doesn’t get away well, he doesn’t get into the flow of the race the same way.”

    Fierceness was coming off a dominating 6 ¼-length victory in the Nov. 3 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. The son of City of Light had scored an 11 ¼-length debut score over a pair of next-out winners on a muddy Saratoga track Aug. 25 before finishing off the board following a troubled start in the Oct. 7 Champagne on a sloppy Aqueduct surface.

    “The way he broke out of there, he kind of broke a step slow and got bounced out of there. I had to put him into the race and then sat against him on the backstretch,” Velazquez said of Fierceness’s trip Saturday. “Somebody moved on the outside and I let him do his thing. [I saw] Paco’s already riding so I kind of sat against him thinking, ‘Let me just wait.’ When I asked him, he wasn’t there for me.”

    Hades who ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.07 while dealing with constant pressure. “He likes to fight. He beat the Breeders’ Cup winner. Maybe the Breeders’ Cup winner wasn’t 100 percent ready, but I know my horse and ran very good today,” said Lopez, who had ridden the son of Awesome Slew in his first two victories.

    The Orseno trainee overcame bumping at the start of his Dec. 9 debut at Gulfstream, closing from well back to get up in time to win a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream. The 3-year-old gelding, who was purchased for $130,000 at the 2022 OBS April sale, had a much easier time of things in his return in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance for Florida-breds, shaking off early pressure while setting the back and drawing away to an eight-length romp.

    “I don’t think we’ve gotten to the bottom of him yet. If you know me, I didn’t have him peaked today. I know what it takes if you’re going to campaign a horse,” said Orseno, who saddled Red Bullet for a victory in the 2000 Preakness. “It was like, we’ll have him ready for today, and this was our plan today, but this was today’s plan. It’s not the ideal plan if you’re trying to win the Derby or even get there, but for today it worked.”

Orseno wasn’t ready to commit Hades to the March 2, Gr. II Fountain of Youth, the final prep for the Florida Derby, in the aftermath of his gelding’s victory. “I’m going to let the horse tell us. Right now, I would say no, but if the horse is sharp …,” Orseno said. “He’s lightly raced. He’s run five and a half and seven furlongs. It’s not like he’s been pushed.”

    Hades’ upset was especially satisfying for Orseno because Leonard Green’s D J Stable and Robert Cotran have been longtime clients, who paid $130,000 for the Holy Bull winner at the 2022 OBS April sale.

    “The owners have been with me for a long time and their partner, Robert Cotran, he’s been with me just as long. It’s great. We put the two of them together. They didn’t know each other when it happened but they know each other now.”
Friday, February 2, 2024
Nominees total 40 . . .
    OLDSMAR - Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has enjoyed a stranglehold on the Gr. III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes since 2006, winning the Kentucky Derby prep race seven times in the last 18 years. Judging from the nominations for this season’s Sam F. Davis, Pletcher is eager to extend that dominance.

    Seven of the 40 nominees for the 44th edition of the race, the headliner on Tampa Bay Downs’s Feb. 10 Festival Preview Day 44 card, are Pletcher trainees, including Eclipse Award Champion Two-Year-Old Male Fierceness, breeder-owner Repole Stable’s winner of the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 3 at S
anta Anita.

    While Fierceness is entered in Saturday’s Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and unlikely to be entered in the Sam F. Davis barring a late reversal of plans, it’s logical to assume Pletcher will find one or two others in an attempt to enlarge his collection of Sam F. Davis winners: Bluegrass Cat (2006), Any Given Saturday (2007), Rule (2010), Brethren (2011), Vinceremos (2014), Destin (2016) and Litigate (2023).

    More on Pletcher’s Sam F. Davis nominees can be found below.

    The Sam F. Davis is a mile-and-a-sixteenth “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race awarding 20 points to the winner and 10, 6, 4 and 2 points to the next four finishers toward qualifying for a starting berth in the 150th running of the Run for the Roses on May 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

    Named after the former president of Tampa Bay Downs, the Sam F, Davis is one of four stakes scheduled for the main track on the Festival Preview Day 44 card.

    The 44th running of the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a distance of a mile-and-40-yards is a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points race, with the top five receiving 20-10-6-4-2 points toward qualifying for the May 3 distaff classic.

    The Suncoast Stakes attracted 21 nominations, five trained by Pletcher. That quintet includes Grade II Demoiselle Stakes winner Life Talk, owned by Repole Stable, and the outfit’s Scalable, who finished second in the Grade II Chandelier Stakes. Life Talks and Scalable were fourth and fifth last fall in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

    Trainer Mark Casse has nominated owner Gary Barber’s Witwatersrand, who won the Grade III Mazarine Stakes on Nov. 4 at Woodbine. Another Suncoast nominee with proven stakes credentials is Red Oak Stable’s Gorgeous Girl, who finished second here on Jan. 13 in the Gasparilla Stakes. Gregg Sacco is the trainer.

    Feb. 10’s other stakes are the 40th running of the $100,000 Pelican Stakes, a 6-furlong sprint for horses 4-years-old-and-upward, and the 43rd edition of the $50,000 Minaret Stakes, a 6-furlong event for fillies and mares 4-and-upward. The Pelican closed with 17 nominations. Among the possibles are Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s 6-year-old gelding Baby Yoda, who was second in the 2022 Pelican, and Grade III winner Little Vic, a 5-year-old from the barn of trainer Juan Carlos Avila.

    The Minaret attracted 17 nominations, as well. Heading the list is trainer Wesley Ward’s 5-year-old mare Chi Town Lady, who won the Grade I Longines Test Stakes in 2022 at Saratoga and has amassed career earnings of $462,913.
The Minaret nominees also include Lady Radler, a 4-year-old filly owned by Mellon Patch, Inc., and trained by Michael Campbell. She is 5-for-11, including a victory last September in the Grade III Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs.

    Back to trainer Pletcher’s seemingly delicious dilemma approaching the Sam F. Davis. With Fierceness Holy Bull-bound, Pletcher may turn to Locked, a son of Gun Runner owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, to extend his Sam F. Davis record. Locked was almost as good as any 2-year-old last fall, winning the Grade I Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland before running third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.

    Pletcher could also choose to enter Noted, a stakes winner on both dirt and turf owned by Repole Stable, or one of several others as they round into form for their 3-year-old campaigns.

    Owner Mellon Patch, Inc., and trainer Michael Campbell have nominated Patriot Spirit, their son of Constitution who breezed 4 furlongs here on Jan. 25 in 48 4/5 seconds as he prepares for his first start as a 3-year-old. Patriot Spirit won the Inaugural Stakes here on Dec. 2.

    Book’em Danno, the speedy winner of the Pasco Stakes here on Jan. 13, is among the Sam F. Davis nominees, but trainer Derek Ryan is expected to run him next in the $1.5-million Saudi Derby in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24. Book’em Danno breezed 5 furlongs here Sunday in 1:02.

    Trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo has nominated four horses to the Sam F. Davis. One, Morplay Racing’s No More Time, is entered in the Holy Bull, while the others are still maidens.

    Other impressive-looking Sam F. Davis nominees include Grade II Remsen Stakes runner-up Sierra Leone, trained by Chad Brown; trainer Larry Demeritte’s Grade III stakes winner West Saratoga, a distant second to Book’em Danno in the Pasco; Grade II-placed Fulmineo, trained by Arnaud Delacour; Otello, the winner of the Mucho Macho Man Stakes on Jan. 1 at Gulfstream, trained by Christophe Clement; and Inaugural runner-up Crazy Mason, owned by Donna Wright and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and trained by Gregg Sacco.

    Turf Champions Day is Saturday. The 38th edition of the Grade III, $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes and the 25th running of the Grade III, $175,000 Endeavour Stakes, both at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf course, are the co-feature events on Saturday’s 10-race “Turf Champions Day” card.

    Seven older fillies and mares are entered in the Endeavour, which is the sixth race on the program. Trainer Chad Brown, who has won the race a record four times, has entered both Klaravich Stables’s 5-year-old Consumer Spending and 4-year-old Implicated, owned by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Cambron Equine and Laura Leigh Stable.

    Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has been named to ride Consumer Spending, while leading Oldsmar jockey Samy Camacho will be on Implicated.

    Trainer H. Graham Motion, who has won the Endeavour twice, also has two entrants: 5-year-old Willakia, owned by Stonestreet Stables, and 5-year-old Sparkle Blue, owned by Augustin Stable and Catherine Parke. Vincent Cheminaud is named on Willakia and Jorge Ruiz will ride Sparkle Blue.

    The afternoon’s excitement will build to a crescendo for the Tampa Bay Stakes, which is the 10th race on the program. Hall of Fame conditioner Claude “Shug” McGaughey, III, will go for his fourth triumph in the race with Never Explain, a 6-year-old son of Street Sense owned by Courtlandt Farms. Cheminaud will ride Never Explain from the No. 1 post.

    Other top contenders appear to be Olympic Runner, trainer Mark Casse’s 8-year-old gelding who is a Grade II winner, and Winfromwithin, trainer William E. Morey’s 6-year-old who finished second in last year’s Tampa Bay Stakes and holds the 1-mile Oldsmar turf course record of 1:33.23, set as a 3-year-old in the 2021 Columbia Stakes. Camacho will ride Olympic Runner, with Jose Ferrer named on Winfromwithin. Assigned the outside No. 10 post is Chad Brown’s 5-year-old Running Bee, to be ridden by Castellano.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
No Gators are entered, either . . .

    Ted Potter won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2018, and a couple of years later, after losing his PGA Tour exemption, he was still able to play in the California event due to his status as a past champion. The popular tournament kicks off Thursday, and this time Ted is not entered. In last year's event, he shot 4 over par and missed the 54-hole cut. 

    Justin Rose is the defending champion - he toured the Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Club in 18 under par last year and took home a cool $1,620,000.

    There are no Gators playing, Tyson Alexander opted out after tying for 48th last year and earning $22,821, and Camilo Villegas began the week as the fifth alternate so his chances of getting in are slim.   

Monday, January 29, 2024
Bellamore takes Gr. III Houston Ladies Classic . . .
    Kaleem Shah’s Bellamore (Empire Maker – Smaft N Soft), rated off the pace in Saturday’s $300,000, Gr. III Houston Ladies Classic Stakes, rallied wide on the turn, then kept closing down the stretch and was up late to win by a neck. It’s the first stakes victory for the 6-year-old mare by Empire Maker, trained by Steve Asmussen, now 20-4-4-5 with $644,992 in earnings. After working an Under Tack quarter in :21 2/5 at the 2020 OBS Spring Sale, she was purchased for $350,000 out of the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment. 

OBS grads captured a pair of stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday.

    KEM Stables’ Hot Fudge (Liam’s Map – Nelle’s Mischief) chased the pace from the outside in the $150,000 Interborough Stakes, took the lead on the turn, then battled down to stretch and was best by half a length. It’s the fourth straight win and second straight stakes victory for the 5-year-old daughter of Liam’s Map, consigned to the 2021 OBS Spring Sale by Flying Fish, Agent, and sold for $235,000 after breezing an eighth in :9 4/5 at the Under Tack Show. Trained by Linda Rice, she’s now 12-7-1-1 and has earned $438,905.  

    Martin Schwartz, Gandharvi, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, James J. Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson’s Bergen (Liam’s Map – Toni’s Hollyday) rallied to take command of the $97,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes after turning for home and drew away to score by 5 1/4 lengths. It was the stakes debut for the 3-year-old colt by Liam’s Map, trained by Brad Cox, now 3-2-1-0 with $136,975 in earnings. At the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, he sped a quarter in 20 4/5 at the Under Tack Show and was purchased for $375,000 out of the Wavertree Stables consignment. 
 

    Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Mouheeb (Flatter – Shananie’s Song) punched his ticket on Friday to the upcoming Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) with an impressive 6-3/4 length victory in the Gr. III Al Shindagha Sprint (G3) at Meydan.  It’s the third stakes win for the 6-year-old son of Flatter, trained by Michael Costa. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin to the 2020 OBS Spring Sale, he was sold for $400,000 after turning in an Under Tack quarter in :20 4/5. McCrocklin has consigned a half-sister by Not This Time to the upcoming OBS March Sale. 
Monday, January 29, 2024
Lucky bettors earn nearly $2 million each . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - The mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool Sunday at Gulfstream Park yielded $1,804,431 payoffs to three bettors holding tickets with all six winners.

    Unsolved for 20 consecutive programs following a mandatory payout, the pool stood at $921,255 heading into Sunday’s wagering. A total of $5,615,409 was bet into the popular multi-race wager Sunday to increase the pool to $6,536,665.

    The winning combination was 5 (Tidal Force - $7), 11 (Break Out - $19.40), 9 (Bird Wildcat - $24.40), 10 (Spirit Animal - $22.60), 11 (Bring Theband Home - $20.20), 7 (Sweet Mimi - $52.50) in the six-race sequence that spanned Races 6-11.


    On mandatory payout days, the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the wager’s six-race sequence. The carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winner, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 will start anew on Wednesday’s program.

                        Spirit Animal Holds on to win Sunday’s City of Light Handicap  

    TEC Racing’s Spirit Animal ($22.60) got the jump on Conglomerate heading into the stretch and held on to win by the slimmest of noses over the favored high-weight in the $75,000 City of Light Handicap.

    The Martin Drexler-trained 8-year-old gelding made the scale of weights for the 1 1/8-mile starter handicap work to his advantage. Spirit Animal carried 121 pounds, six fewer than Conglomerate, in the 1 1/8-mile starter handicap on Tapeta,

    Spirit Animal, who was claimed for $10,000 last February at Gulfstream, settled in fifth behind a solid pace set by long shot The Best Distance before advancing on the far turn under Edwin Gonzalez. The Drexler trainee was taken four-wide leaving the turn into the stretch, one path inside an approaching Conglomerate. Fly the W, carrying 125 pounds after winning six of his last eight starts, kicked to the lead in mid-stretch after stalking the pace but was unable to hold off Spirit Animal, who was just able to hold off Conglomerate at the wire.


    “He’s just all heart. This horse is all heart,” Drexler said. “I played around with ideas of running him shorter or putting him on turf, and this race kept sat there and just sat there, and I said, ‘You know what? Conglomerate is in there, Fly the W is in there. If he can beat these horses, he’ll be doing well.

    Spirit Animal, who had been first or second in his last five starts at Woodbine, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.03 to edge Conglomerate. Fly the W finished third.

Who’s Hot: Jockey Edwin Gonzalez rode both ends of a $419 Daily Double aboard Crystal Quest ($38.60) in Race 1 and Flower Mound ($17.40) in Race 2. He came back to capture the City of Light Handicap aboard Spirit Animal.


    Trainer Michael Trombetta had bookend winners, scoring with Crystal Quest ($38.60) in Race 1 and Sweet Mimi ($52.20) in Race 11.

 Oisin Murphy doubled aboard On the Nile ($17.80) in Race 5 and Break Out ($19.40) in Race 7. Trainer Martin Drexler also notched a win with Ninetyfour Express ($10) in Race 3. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who was aboard Ninetyfour Express, went on to capture Race 11 with Bring Theband Home ($20.20).