HALLANDALE BEACH - D. J. Stable’s Bullet gave Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse a return trip to Royal Ascot, closing from far back to capture the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

    Soldi Stable’s Gabaldon earned trainer Jose D’Angelo his first visit to Great Britain’s most prestigious meeting two races later while registering a front-running triumph in the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile.

    The Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, a five-furlong turf test for 2-year-old fillies, co-headlined a 10-race program with the Royal Palm Juvenile, a five-furlong turf race for all 2-year-olds. The winners of both races earned automatic berths in one of six stakes during the Royal Ascot meet that runs June 18 through June 24, as well as $25,000 travel stipends.

    Emisael Jaramillo rode both winners.

    Casse-trained Bullet broke slowly from the starting gate to race far behind a strong early pace, set by first-time starter You Need Me, a 44-1 shot ridden by Leonel Reyes, and pressed by Unchained Elaine on the outside with 8-5 favorite Perfect Shances chasing along the rail. You Need Me shook off all challenges to take her lead into the stretch, where she was able to repel a bid by Casse-trained My Emmy. But the David Braddy-trained daughter of St. Patrick’s Day was no match for the impressive late surge by Bullet, who made a wide sweep on the turn before kicking in through the stretch.

    “The crazy thing is she usually breaks like a shot. I used a few choice words when she broke,” said Casse, who watched from his Ocala home. “It’s one thing to break bad. It’s another thing when you break bad and circle everyone in the field. You’ll have a tough time finding a more impressive race than the one she gave us.”

    Bullet, a daughter of War Front who was saddled by longtime Casse assistant Nick Tomlinson, scored by 2 ¼ lengths, completing five furlongs in :56.80 seconds while closing off fractions of :22.01 and :44.84.

    Casse had a most enjoyable first visit to Royal Ascot, where he saddled champion Tepin for a victory over the boys in the 2016, Gr. I Queen Anne Stakes.

    “My wife describes it the best. She said Royal Ascot is like the Kentucky Derby on steroids,” Casse said. “It’s something I’ll never forget. The prestige. We got to meet the Queen, which was very special for us.”

    D’Angelo-trained Gabaldon ($35.00) was making his debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile following a series of strong workouts that included a sharp half-mile breeze over the turf course at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training center in Palm Beach County. Unlike Bullet, Gabaldon broke like a bullet to grab an early lead, challenged on his outside by Governor Sam along the backstretch. After shaking his early challenge, the son of Gone Astray opened a clear lead at the top of the stretch on his way to a 1 ¼-length victory. He completed five furlongs in :56.20 seconds after putting up fractions of :21.33 and :43.80.

    “The horse showed class from the first day. He’s never missed a workout,” D’Angelo said. “We were looking for a horse to run in this race. Now, we are looking for a [top) hat.” Reach for the Rose rallied along the rail to finish second, a neck ahead of Bright Skittle and Casse-trained Garden of War, who finished in a dead-heat for third.

    Last year, trainer George Weaver was unable to repeat his amazing accomplishment during the inaugural 2023 Royal Palm Series. He saddled Crimson Advocate for a victory in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies and No Nay Mets for a win in the Royal Palm Juvenile, and Crimson Advocate went on to beat 25 fillies in the Gr. II Queen Mary (G2), but No Nay Mets finished off the board in the Gr. II Norfolk.
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