Gulfstream: Brahms Cat Puts on ‘Game Face’ on for Stakes Return

By David Joseph —-

Grade 2 Stakes-Placed Filly to Meet Seven in $75,000 Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Bluestone Thoroughbreds’ Brahms Cat is slated to return to action in Saturday’s $75,000 Game Face Stakes at Gulfstream Park after holding her own against the country’s leading 3-year-old fillies during the Championship Meet.

The 3-year-old daughter of Wildcat Heir, who is set to face seven rivals, earned graded-stakes credentials with a late-closing third-place finish Feb. 4 in the $200,000 Forward Gal (G2), beaten by 1 ¾ lengths behind victorious Tequilita at seven-furlongs. The Larry Bates-trained filly came back to finish a late-closing fifth March 4 in the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2), beaten 6 ½-lengths by Miss Sky Warrior at a mile. Miss Sky Warrior and Tequilita are prime prospects for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs May 5.

“We were very pleased that she came to the point where she was capable of that [in the Forward Gal]. We had hoped she was capable of that,” Bates said. “When we ran her back in the Davona Dale, there were some tough, tough horses in there. We thought, ‘we’ll have this filly all summer; there’s no sense to keep chasing them.’ We threw a little breather in between and this is a logical place to start back.”

Brahms Cat broke her maiden in her third lifetime start and first start on dirt at Gulfstream Sept. 24 before kicking off the Championship Meet with a third-place finish in the House Party Stakes Dec. 10 and a going-away triumph in an optional claiming allowance Jan. 20.

“She likes what she’s doing. She’s an easy filly to train. I’ve been lucky with those Wildcat Heirs. The nicest horse I’ve had was Black Diamond Cat. They have the same mental makeup They all have that same focus. They like what they’re doing,” said Bates, who campaigned Black Diamond Cat, a hard-hitting son of Wildcat Heir who earned more than $500,000 while winning multiple stakes in South Florida.

The seven-furlong Game Face, named for the Todd Pletcher-trained distaffer who captured the 2009 Inside Information (G2) at Gulfstream, has attracted several lightly raced hot 3-year-old filly prospects, including Todd Pletcher-trained My Miss Tapit, a $500,000 yearling purchase who debuted at Gulfstream March 10 with a 2 ½-length victory after a troubled start; Ralph Nicks-trained Jakobs Rocket Girl, a 7 ½-length winner over a pair of next-out winners in her second start and first at Gulfstream Feb. 22; and Jason Servis-trained Actress, a daughter of Tapit who debuted at Gulfstream March 19 with a late-closing second-place finish after encountering trouble and a wide trip.
Three Illusions, Credit Alert, Rashette and Queen Roller round out the field.

All Included, War Correspondent Top Miami Mile (G3) Nominations

Grade 1-Placed Runners among 17 Nominated for April 29 Event
Slacks of Course Runs to Breeding in Juvenile Maiden Race
Leading Jockey Tyler Gaffalione Rides Four Winners
Friday’s Rainbow 6 Carryover Jackpot Stands at $36,372

Multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed All Included and War Correspondent top a list of 17 nominations for the $100,000 Miami Mile (G3) on turf at Gulfstream Park April 29.

Wertheimer and Frere’s All Included, who has been stakes-placed in the past two runnings of Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1), captured the Appleton (G3) at Gulfstream Park April 1.

The 6-year-old son of Include, who is trained by Todd Pletcher, is joined by stablemate Decorated Soldier, a stakes winner on dirt.

Calumet Farm, Sagamore Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ War Correspondent finished fourth and was placed third in this year’s Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in his second start of 2017. The Christophe Clement-trained had finished third in the 2015 Gulfstream Turf and won the 2015 Appleton. Clement also nominated Lubash, the 10-year-old multiple graded-stakes winner who was placed first in the Tropical Turf Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park West last time out.

William F. Clifton Jr.’s Our Way, who finished third behind All Included in the Appleton after winning the Sunshine Millions Turf; Robert Baker and William Mack’s Smooth Daddy, a multiple graded stakes-placed 6-year-old trained by Tom Albertrani; and Scivener Stable’s Trust Factor, a late-developing 4-year-old son of Paddy O’Prado who has won four of seven starts on turf; have also been nominated for the mile turf stakes, the first graded stakes of the Spring/Summer Meet.

The $100,000 Powder Break, a supporting stakes on the Miami Mile card to be run at a mile on turf for fillies and mares, attracted 20 nominations, including the Clement-trained multiple graded stakes-placed Stormy Victoria.

Slacks of Course Runs to Breeding in Juvenile Maiden Race

Jacks or Better Farm’s Slacks of Course ($2.80), a full brother to Grade3 winner Dogwood Trail, raced greenly in spots but prevailed in Thursday’s fifth race by a nose.

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, the daughter of Awesome of Course broke alertly to open up a clear lead during a 21.99-second first quarter of a mile before being joined by a long shot The Chamo on the far turn. The two battled head to head through the stretch before Slacks of Course fought off his challenger to capture his debut for Fred Brei’s Jacks or Better Farm and trainer Ralph Nicks.

“He still has a lot to earn. He’s just a baby. He showed me a lot of talent training in the morning. Fred, obviously, gets them very ready at the farm. When they come in, it’s more of an education thing,” Nicks said. “He’ll get better down the road.”

Slacks of Course ran 4 ½-furlongs in 52.03 seconds. The Chamo, ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, finished second, a length ahead of Rocky Strange and Edgard Zayas.

Slacks of Course is nominated to the Florida Sire Stakes, a three-leg series for 2-year-olds sired by stallions standing in Florida that will get underway Aug. 5.

Leading rider Gaffalione rode four winners Thursday, including the winners of three straight races, tallying aboard Cajun Queen ($7) in the fourth, Slacks of Course in the fifth and Beautyofaday ($7.40) in the sixth. The 22-year-old Davie, FL native later scored aboard Galleon Mast ($4.60) in the eighth.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 Carryover Jackpot Stands at $36,372

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the third straight program Thursday, leaving a carryover jackpot of $36,372.54 for Friday’s multi-race sequence that will span Races 5-10.

The $75,000 Roar Stakes will feature Classic Rock’s bid for a third-straight victory in the Race 9.
Multiple tickets with all six winners Thursday were each worth $2,921.44.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is paid out only 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 goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Gulfstream Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; XpressBet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.