Gulfstream News & Notes: Fancy Dress Party Set for Saturday’s Glitter Woman

By David Joseph —-

Fancy Dress Party Set for Saturday’s Glitter Woman
Bourbon in May Tests Stakes Company in Kitten’s Joy
Garter and Tie Steps Up for Mucho Macho Man

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A rainy day in Lexington, KY Oct. 26 became a whole lot brighter for trainer Ben Colebrook when Fancy Dress Party debuted with a 3 ¼-length victory at Keeneland.

Originally scheduled to start off her career on turf, the 3-year-old daughter of Munnings navigated her way from off the pace and over a sloppy track to win going away. LNJ Foxwood’s Kentucky-bred filly encountered a sloppy track again at Churchill a month later and won impressively once more in a race scheduled for the main track.

“I thought she might be a turf sprinter because of her action. That’s why her first race was supposed to be on the turf before it came off. She ran so good on the slop that day, we decided, ‘Why not keep her on the dirt? She ran so good that day. We can always go back to the turf someday,’” Colebrook said. “Obviously, if you have a horse that can do both, it’s even better. We’re going to keep her on the dirt for now until there’s a reason to try her on the turf. She’s certainly met everyone’s expectations thus far.”

Fancy Dress Party, who was purchased for $280,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September sale, is set to make her stakes debut at Gulfstream Park in Saturday’s $75,000 Glitter Woman, a six-furlong dash for 3-year-old fillies on the main track.

“It’s the perfect race for her to try stakes company. We’re excited about running her,” Colebrook said. “She seems like a nice filly with a lot of class. She does everything right. I’m looking forward to her stakes debut.”

Fancy Dress Party has demonstrated versatility as well as the ability to handle dirt, having closed from off the pace in her debut and racing forwardly throughout her second start.

“The first race she kind of gets left in the gate and makes up a lot of ground on a sloppy track, which is not an easy thing to do first time out,” Colebrook said. “She’s never been very quick out of the gate in the morning, so I told Florent (Geroux) for her second start, ‘She’s always been a slow starter, so help her out of there.’ She broke like a rocket. They went really, really fast fractions, and she kept going at the end, held sway, and won going away.”

Leading rider Luis Saez is scheduled to ride Fancy Dress Party for the first time Saturday.

Bourbon in May Tests Stakes Company in Kitten’s Joy

Let’s Go Stable and Richard D. Schibell’s Bourbon in May, a maiden winner on Opening Day of the 2018-19 Championship Meet, returns to Gulfstream Park for his stakes debut in the $100,000 Kitten’s Joy.

The 7 ½-furlong Kitten’s Joy for 3-year-olds on turf is the fourth of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on Saturday’s 10-race program. Bourbon in May is listed at 10-1 on the morning line for a field of nine, breaking from Post 6 under meet-leading rider Luis Saez for 15-time defending training champion Todd Pletcher.

Favored in each of his two career starts at 2, Bourbon in May finished second in his debut Oct. 27 going 5 ½ furlongs over a soft course at Keeneland. He returned with a two-length triumph in a 7 ½-furlong turf sprint Dec. 1 at Gulfstream, also under Saez.

“We thought he ran well the first time despite the distance being a little short, and the turf was a little soft at Keeneland that day, as well,” Pletcher said. “But, we were encouraged by the effort and we were pleased that he came back and improved in his second start.

“We were kind of thinking about an allowance race originally, but it kind of looks like it might be a good opportunity for him and the timing is good,” he added.

In both of his starts, Bourbon in May sat off the pace before coming with a late run. Pletcher feels the More Than Ready colt will be better as the distances get longer.

“I think he’s tractable and, depending on the pace scenario in the race, he can do whatever you need him to do,” Pletcher said. “I think a mile and a sixteenth shouldn’t be a problem down the road. This will be a good test to kind of see where he is from a class standpoint.”

Garter and Tie Steps Up for Mucho Macho Man

Jacks or Better Farm’s Garter and Tie has already proven himself while competing against the premier Florida-bred colts. Saturday’s $100,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream will present the son of Brooks ‘n Down the opportunity to test himself against some of the most promising 3-year-olds in the Class of 2019.

“He’s not very big, but he has a big heart,” trainer Ralph Nicks said. “We’ll find out a lot about him Saturday”

Garter and Tie was a force during the 2018 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series, falling just a half-length short after experiencing heavy traffic in the $100,000 Dr. Fager, breaking his maiden in the $200,000 Affirmed, and finishing second in the $400,000 In Reality.

The homebred colt was no match for Mucho Macho Man entrant Well Defined in the In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile FSS finale, but he returned to winning form in the Dec. 8 Smooth Air Stakes at the one-turn mile distance of Saturday’s race.

es of Code of Honor, the 7-5 morning-line favorite who finished a troubled second in the Champagne (G1) at Belmont; Mihos, a most promising son of Cairo Prince trained by Jimmy Jerkens; Trophy Chaser, runner-up in the Nov. 2 Street Sense at Churchill Downs behind Improbable, who went on to win the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity; Well Defined, who finished off the board in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) after a troubled trip at Churchill after winning the In Reality by 7 ½ lengths; and Gladiator, the winner of the Inaugural at Tampa Bay Downs last time out.

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. For more information contact David Joseph at david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com or call 954.457.6451.