Gulfstream News & Notes: Stakes Winner Tocayo Works Thursday for $200,000 Colonel Liam

By David Joseph —-

Gulfstream Park News & Notes

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Lugamo Racing Stable’s Tocayo, a front-running winner of the Dania Beach on the Gulfstream Park turf last month, turned in a sharp half-mile breeze Thursday ahead of a planned start in the $200,000 Colonel Liam March 2.

The Colonel Liam for 3-year-olds, scheduled for one mile on the Gulfstream turf, is one of nine stakes, eight graded, worth $1.85 million in purses on a blockbuster program headlined by the $400,000 Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2), next stop on the road to the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 30.

Tocayo, a bay son of 2017 Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Always Dreaming, went four furlongs in 48.15 seconds over Gulfstream’s main track, third-fastest of 17 horses at the distance.

“He worked very well. He worked well in hand. He continues to train well right up to the race,” trainer Steve Klesaris said. “If all’s well between now and then, we’ll be there.”

Tocayo made his first seven starts on dirt for Laurel Park-based trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon, a former Klesaris assistant. Beaten a neck in his turf debut last fall, he came back to win an optional claiming allowance before making his stakes debut in the 7 ½-furlong Pulpit Dec. 9 at Gulfstream.

“He had a very tough trip from an outside post with significant ground loss, but he showed me enough to say to Rudy, ‘Leave this horse here, let’s try him again in the race the next month,’” Klesaris said. “He agreed to leave him and everything worked out well in the Dania Beach. He got a very comfortable pace scenario and just kind of stole the race.”

Tocayo went a half-mile in 50.08 seconds and had plenty left to repel Grade 2 winner Agate Road and win the one-mile Dania Beach by 1 ½ lengths at odds of 13-1. Similarly regarded in his next start, the 1 1/16-mile Kitten’s Joy (G3), Tocayo again led the way into the stretch before settling for third, beaten two lengths.

“Last race was a more legitimate pace and he hung in there to be third,” Klesaris said. “Since coming out of that race he’s trained very forwardly, he’s very fresh, he had a nice workout this morning so right now he’s sitting on all cylinders and all systems are go. We’re looking forward to being there.”

Gulfstream Park Sprint Marks U.S. Debut for G3 Winner Ironstone

Tequesta Racing Inc. and Jupiter Leasing Co.’s Ironstone, winner of the 2022 Ontario Derby (G3) going long on synthetics, is set to make a return to the dirt in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Saturday, his U.S. debut.

Bred in Ontario, Ironstone has raced exclusively in Canada through 17 starts, 15 of them on Woodbine’s Tapeta course and once on the grass for previous trainer W. V. Armata. The son of Mr Speaker has worked five times since mid-January at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“He came to me and was a very worked-up horse,” trainer Renico Lafond said. “I ride him myself so I tried to get him to reset a little bit and relax and settle down. His back end was a little weak at that time, so we worked on that a lot jogging and things like that.

“I worked him a few times myself and he was working really well,” he added. “He’s progressed very, very well. He’s moving properly, his endurance is fantastic and he’s doing very well.”

Ironstone has raced once on dirt, finishing second by less than a length as the favorite in the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales at Fort Erie, the second leg of Canada’s Triple Crown. He won the Ontario Derby going 1 1/8 miles and was third by a half-length in a 1 ¼-mile optional claiming allowance before being cut back to sprints last year.

“When he came down here I wasn’t sure how he was going to handle the track at Palm Meadows, but he’s handled it pretty well,” Lafond said. “Palm Meadows is more sand based so it’s a little different surface, but he took to it very well and led us to believe he has a shot in this race.”

Ironstone drew Post 4 in a field of 10 for the Gulfstream Park Sprint and will be ridden for the first time by Miguel Vasquez. Most recently he breezed five furlongs in 1:02.10 Feb. 17, ranking third of 10 horses.

“He’s trained fantastic, he works phenomenal. His last work was very, very impressive, so I’m pretty confident in him. I think Miguel Vasquez will suit his running style and hopefully it all works out,” Lafond said.

“He has a lot of class to him. It’ll be good to see how he runs against this kind of company,” he added. “I have a good feeling. I’m pretty confident in him. He’s been training fantastic. We’ve been very patient with him so, so far, so good. Fingers crossed.”

Loco Abarrio Back on Dirt for $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint

Mad Dog Racing Stable and Joseph Parker’s Loco Abarrio, beaten as the favorite on the all-weather Tapeta last time out, looks to rebound when he returns to the main track in Saturday’s $125,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint.

Trained by Ron Spatz, Loco Abarrio kicked off his 4-year-old season Feb. 1 at Gulfstream, running last of eight in a 5 ½-furlong starter optional claimer, just the third time in 15 career starts running worse than third.

Loco Abarrio had run three times previously on the Tapeta, finishing second in all three, the most recent coming last Feb. 22 where he crossed the wire first but was disqualified for interference. Spatz claimed him for $35,000 out of that race.

“I worked him on the Tapeta and he never picked up the bit and went in 36 [seconds]. When I ran him on it he did the same thing,” Spatz said. “He never picked up the bit, I don’t know why. The day I claimed him was the [third] time on it and he won and got DQ’d, but he didn’t accept it this time.”

Loco Abarrio tuned up for the six-furlong Gulfstream Park Sprint with a bullet five-furlong breeze in 1:00.09 Feb. 14. He will break from Post 2 under jockey Edwin Gonzalez.

“I don’t work them that fast; he just took it upon himself to work that fast. That was his first work back on the dirt, so maybe he felt good about himself being back on it,” Spatz said. “I’m not crazy about his post position, but that’s up to the jock to wiggle out of that one.”

Bred in Florida by Rivermont Farm, $15,000 yearling Loco Abarrio owns five wins, six seconds and one third from 15 lifetime starts with $217,680 in purse earnings. In his only other stakes try he finished sixth in the seven-furlong Pasco last January at Tampa Bay Downs, but he beat subsequent Toboggan (G3) winner Super Chow in a Christmas Eve optional claiming allowance sprinting six furlongs at Gulfstream.

“That horse had excuses, but in a head-to-head duel to the wire he showed a lot of grit, which has never been his forte. He’s usually a flash by and go, but he showed something. He’s gotten better,” Spatz said. “He’s been honest. I just don’t know if he’s this kind of horse. There’s some really nice horses in there. This is going to be a big acid test for him.”

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