In scanning the Breeders' Cup entries, one thing becomes painfully clear: Florida-breds, Florida stallions, Florida owners and Florida breeders are quite conspicuous by their near absence. In fact, there are many more entrants represented by stallions who used to stand in Ocala but are now plying their trade elsewhere, such as Congrats, Northern Afleet, Harlington, Cowtown Cat, Put It Back and Successful Appeal. 

    The first runner with Florida ties goes tomorrow in the Juvenile Turf. Wellabled is a Kentucky-bred colt by Shackleford, and was a $340,000 OBS April purchase for Carolyn Wilson, owner of Bay Tree Farm on highway 225-A. Wellabled is just a head away from being unbeaten in four starts, and he took the Gr. III Arlington-Washington Futurity by 7 3/4 lengths. The three races he has won are by a combined 17 1/4 lengths.

    Also on the docket tomorrow in the Juvenile Fillies Turf is Victory to Victory, a 2-year-old Florida-bred owned and bred by Charlotte Weber at Live Oak Plantation. The daughter of Exchange Rate broke her maiden in the Gr. I Natalma at Woodbine in her third start on the grass. Trained by Mark Casse, she has Julien Leparoux in the saddle.

    Saturday's Juvenile marks the true test for Shade Tree Thoroughbreds' Three Rules, the unbeaten son of Northwest Stud Farm's sensational second-crop sire Gone Astray who swept the three divisions of Gulfstream Park's Florida Sire Stakes without so much as drawing a breath. He's the leading money-winning 2-year-old in the country with nearly $700,000 in the bank, and has turned around the fortunes of co-owner/breeder Bert Pilcher. Cornelio Velasquez will try to make it six in a row for the colt. The Santa Anita line-maker isn't too thrilled by the Florida efforts of Three Rules, and he's 8-1 in the morning line.

    Only three Florida-breds have ever won the Juvenile, the last being Brocco in 1993. Before that, it was Gilded Time in 1992 and Tasso in 1985. 

    Also in the Juvenile is Term of Art, bred in Kentucky by Ocalan Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, and a $220,000 Keeneland September purchase by Calumet Farm. 

    Noted and Quoted, a Florida-bred daughter of The Factor bred by Gilbert Campbell at Stonehedge Farm in Williston, will contest the Juvenile Fillies for trainer Bob Baffert with Rafael Bejarano in the irons. The $375,000 OBS March 2-year-old won the Gr. I Chandelier at Santa Anita.

    Delta Bluesman, a Florida-bred by Bridlewood Farm's Wagon Limit, is 10-10-7 in 45 career tries, but has won four of his last six outings. The 6-year-old gelding captured the Hall of Fame Stakes at Parx in :57.45 for 5 1/2 furlongs, and the Gr. II Smile Sprint at Gulfstream in 1:08.94 for six.  

    Finally, there's Florida-bred Pure Sensation, 5-1 in the morning line for the Turf Sprint. The daughter of Zensational comes from the barn of Patricia Generazio, a New Jerseyite but a long-time Florida breeder of exceptional runners. Pure Sensation sports a record of 7-4-2 in 18 starts with earnings of $838,415, and he's on a three-race winning streak. In the Gr. III Jaipur invitational at Belmont Park, at odds of 18-1, he set a course record of 1:06.76 for six furlongs on the grass, and in winning the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational at the same distance, he was clocked in 1:07.10.  

    Not a huge turnout, but a chance for some glory, nevertheless. 

 

    

    

     

    

    

    

     

comments powered by Disqus