HALLANDALE BEACH - Troy Johnson, Wendell Yates and Robert Fritts’ Hot Rod Honey turned on the afterburners in the Gulfstream Park stretch Friday to win the $100,000 Sharp Susan.

    Making her stakes debut in the 5 ½-furlong dash for 2-year-old fillies, the Carlos David-trained daughter of red hot first-crop Florida stallion Roadster followed up an off-the-pace debut victory with a gritty stretch drive to overpower loose-on-the-lead pacesetter Columbina to score by 4 ¼ lengths.

    “I loved the way she won when she broke her maiden, stalking the pace. When I saw that, I knew I had something good,” David said. “Today, she handled the heat well.”

    Hot Rod Honey broke cleanly from her rail post position to chase Columbina along the backstretch and around the turn into the stretch before turning up the heat on the pacesetter, who entered the stretch with a three-length lead. The David trainee responded to jockey Leonel Reyes’ urging to overwhelm Columbina, who drifted out while shortening stride in mid-stretch, and draw off without leaving the rail.

    “Leonel said he wasn’t worried about coming on the inside. She’s not shy,” David said.

    Hot Rod Honey raced 5 ½ furlongs in 1:08.08 as the 2-1 second betting choice. Columbina held second under Diego Herrera, two lengths head of third-place finisher Elegante Miz. Boots, Hot Rod Honey’s stablemate in the David barn, finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite after flashing early speed.

    Although not powerfully built, Hot Rod Honey certainly has shown a lot of potential in her two starts.

    “I think she’s going to be OK. I think she’s going to grow a little bit. She’s a little slim but she’s a good size, not too low to the ground,” David said.

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