HALLANDALE BEACH - Debra Donaldson’s 4-year-old gelding Skyliner rallied from last to first into the stretch and pulled clear through the lane for a six-length decision to give his owner-trainer her first career victory Friday at Gulfstream Park.

    With jockey Wesley Henry up, Skyliner ($14.80) completed a mile and 70 yards over the all-weather Tapeta course in 1:46.73 to win the maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up, his sixth career start, over four rivals. None were taken for the $17,500 tag.

    It was the 22nd start this year and 34th overall dating back to August 2024 for Donaldson, who said she is retired from the real estate and commercial property business. “It’s been two, three years, part-time, putting every hour I have into this, so we’re really, really happy,” said Donaldson. “We finally did it.”

    Bred in Florida by Thoroughbred Racing Nation, Skyliner began his career Feb. 22 with a pair of dirt races at Tampa Bay Downs before moving to Gulfstream for a race on the Tapeta May 16 and back-to-back turf starts with Henry, the most recent Aug. 23.

    Henry settled Skyliner at the back of the field in Friday’s race, where he trailed splits of :23.83 seconds, :47.79 and 1:13.43 before circling the field on the outside and opening up over the fast main track.

    “Who thought Skyliner would be my first win, because this horse literally trampled me almost to death a year and a half ago,” Donaldson said. “I told his owner at the time, ‘He’s maturing, he’s maturing,’ and he finally is maturing. He’s not quite so crazy anymore.”

    Donaldson is based in Ocala, but has a dozen horses this summer at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

    “We own Citra Oaks Farm, a five-eighths training track up in Ocala, so we started up there. It was too hard to run the horses off the farm in the summer when it’s so hot, so we came down to Palm Meadows this year,” Donaldson said. “We met Wesley Henry last year and he’s been riding for us every morning, so our horses are nice and fit,” she added. “We have 12 at Palm Meadows and we have broodmares and an American Pharoah and a Tiz the Law weanling. We’re all in.”

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